Most of the public health law system in the United States was developed in the early part of the twentieth century. Among the first laws enacted were state and local quarantine, isolation, and immunization laws, which represented a balancing of the interests of public health and individual liberty. In recent years, a global economy and transportation system combined with emerging infectious diseases and bioterrorism threats have created new challenges for public health laws and public health professionals. Even where legal doctrine and procedure have kept pace with these new developments, the lack of professional education in public health law threatens to make it difficult for public health systems to respond quickly and effectively to protect the nation's health. The Center for Public Health Law Partnerships will coordinate professional education for a range of groups that play an important role in public health law, including public health officials, law enforcement personnel, judges, prosecutors, and public health lawyers. Through a series of partnerships, the Center will work with leading professional associations to develop training capacity, educational programs, and practical, timely resources in public health law. The pilot educational programs developed for six states will serve to create a template for a national program of professional education in public health law.

Specifically, the goals of the Center for Public Health Law Partnerships include the following:

• To foster partnerships between the public health practice community and the legal community, the Center will enter into agreements with providers of judicial education, law enforcement education, prosecutor education, public health education, and continuing legal education;
  
  
• To increase the public health law training capacity of professional legal organizations, the Center will conduct a continuing education needs assessment and develop strategies and curricula for educational programs linked with regular organizational meetings;
  
  
• To disseminate educational materials in public health law, the Center will research and develop materials in a variety of media, including a website with original information and numerous links, printed material for widespread distribution, and tailored publications, such as bench guides on public health law for judges and articles in professional journals; and
  
  
• To guide the development of collaborations, strategy, and educational materials, the Center will rely on an expert Advisory Board to assist with strategic planning and reviewing materials for scientific accuracy, thoroughness, timeliness, and appropriateness for each audience.