Lindsey Sizemore, MPH, CPH
STD/HIV Epidemiologist
Tennessee Department of Health
September 10, 2014
Certificate of Public Health
Offered by the National Board of Public Health Examiners
(NBPHE)
Graduated from an accredited Public Health program by
the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
Mastered foundational competencies in public health
There are two parts to the CPH credentialing
process:
Passing the CPH Exam
A recertification process to maintain the certification
U.S. does not currently require any license to be
hired in public health
Voluntary credential that demonstrates core
knowledge of public health
Employers are preferentially hiring and promoting
CPH professionals
You must meet one of the following
eligibility criteria:
Alumni of a program of public health
accredited by the CEPH
Current student of a school or program
of public health accredited by the CEPH
Must have completed 21 core credit hours by the
time the exam is administered
Starting with the October 2013 exam, individuals who
have taken the five core classes at a CEPH-accredited
institution are also eligible to sit for the CPH exam as
long as they meet either of the two additional
eligibility criteria:
Minimum of five years of public health experience
Possession of a relevant graduate degree
The Certified in Public Health (CPH) exam covers
the five core areas of public health and crosscutting areas relevant to contemporary public
health
The examination was crafted to assess a
person’s knowledge of these competencies,
regardless of academic concentration
Five Core Areas
Biostatistics
Environmental Health Sciences
Epidemiology
Health Policy and Management
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Cross-Cutting Area
Communication and Informatics
Diversity and Culture
Leadership
Public Health Biology
Professionalism
Programs Planning
Systems Thinking
Registration is now open for the 2014-2015
exams
Computer Based Exams will be offered on:
October 4-25, 2014
February 9-28, 2015
June 1-30, 2015
October 1-31, 2015
Candidates can register at:
https://www.nbphe.org/registrationcenter.cfm
Testing sites in Tennessee for Computer-Based
tests are held at H&R Block Offices in the
following cities:
Chattanooga: 2200 Hamilton Place Boulevard
Johnson City: 3302 West Market Street
Knoxville: 308 North Peters Road
Memphis: 3566 Summer Avenue
Nashville: 2941 Nolensville Pike
The exam fee is $385.00
It is not refundable; however, it is deferrable
As of November 2009, the NBPHE is approved
to offer the CPH exam through the U.S.
Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
Veterans and their eligible dependents may qualify
for reimbursement of the CPH exam costs through
their veteran’s education benefits
CPH Exam: Quick Reference Review by Larry
Holmes, Jr.
The cost is around $60.00 (new and used) for
paperback or Kindle Edition
There are also practice questions, webinars, and a
full length practice exam available on the NBPHE
website: www.nbphe.org
The exam consists of 200 questions and is timed
(4 hours)
Some questions are: matching items, part of a
series of questions relating to a common
narrative, or have associated charts
Blank answers are automatically marked as
‘incorrect’ so it is better to guess if you are
unsure of the answer
Sample Exam
Questions
A pilot study is conducted to examine whether a new drug effectively
decreases cholesterol levels over a six-week period. Twelve participants
are enrolled, and serum cholesterol levels are measured before and after
the six-week treatment period. Investigators plan to use a paired t-test to
examine whether the drug was effective in reducing cholesterol levels.
The paired t-test is more appropriate for analysis of the results than a
two-sample t-test for which of the following reasons?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Dependence between the pre-test and post-test measurements
Elimination of noise due to confounders
Heterogeneous variances of the two groups
Non-randomness of the timing of the measurements
Potential non-normality of the responses
Which of the following is a priority air
pollutant regulated by the National Ambient
Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Asbestos
Carbon Dioxide
Methane
Ozone
Obesity interventions often utilize community trials to
increase physical activity. These trials are usually part of a
“Healthy Heart” program and incorporate social and
environmental measures, including public service
announcements about physical activity and total well-being.
This approach in terms of a health behavior model is best
described as the:
A. Transtheoretical Model
B. Health Belief Model
C. Social Support Model
D. Ecologic Model
E. Information, Motivation, and Skill Building Model
What percentage of all spending on health in the United
States is devoted to public health funding?
A.
B.
C.
D.
3%
11%
28%
52%
In a case-control study of osteoporosis, investigators examined
100 women as cases and an equal number of women as
controls and found low-calcium intake in 40 of the cases and
20 of the controls.
What is the odds ratio in the association between low-calcium
intake and developing osteoporosis in this population?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
1.53
15.3
2.66
26.6
Cannot be determined from the information provided
The CPH exam is scored overall as pass/fail
Candidates who pass the exam are notified that
they passed
Candidates who fail the exam receive a score report
that includes:
Total score for the entire exam;
Separate scores for each of the 5 core competencies;
Separate score for all cross-cutting competencies
combined
To determine the minimum passing standard for
each new test, experts examine each item for:
Performance (i.e. was the answer chosen as expected
or was the item clearly confusing)
Difficulty (again, based on the performance and based
on expert opinion)
Usefulness in contributing to the overall score (i.e. if
100% of examinees answered it correctly it is not an
informative item)
The first CPH exam was offered across the world in
August 2008
To date, more than 3,500 individuals have passed
the CPH exam
The passing rates for CPH exams to date are:
84% in 2008
74% in 2009
88% in 2010
86% in 2011
84% in February 2012; 82% in October 2012
85% in February 2013; 76% in October 2013
79% in February 2014
Performance by Domain
Biostat Avg. 78%
Cross Avg. 77%
BSS Avg. 75%
EOH Avg. 74%
HPM Avg. 70%
Exam results will be available 45 business days
after the last day of the testing window
Results are sent by U.S. Postal Service
NBPHE will verify every candidate's eligibility
with their academic institution
When you pass the exam and all requirements
have been verified, you will be Certificate in
Public Health, and can add the initials CPH to
your name and degree
Must earn 50 recertification credits (hours) every two
years
All credits must be earned in the current
recertification period; no roll over of recertification
credits will be accepted
All credits are entered into the recertification portal
on the NBPHE website
There is a renewal application fee of $95.00 for each
recertification cycle
“Public health is critically important in the protection and
promotion of health and the prevention of disease. The CPH
provides evidence that we as public health professionals have
attained a nationally recognized level of expertise to assure the
conditions in which people can be healthy. I believe that
everyone eligible who is in the field should take the exam.”
Adewale Troutman, MD, MPH, CPH
Director, Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness
Questions?
For additional information, please visit:
www.nbphe.org
Lindsey.Sizemore@tn.gov