The challenge of attribution: responsibility for population health in the context of accountable care.

One of the 3 goals for accountable care organizations is to improve population health. This will require that accountable care organizations bridge the schism between clinical care and public health. But do health care delivery organizations and public health agencies share a concept of "population"? We think not: whereas delivery systems define populations in terms of persons receiving care, public health agencies typically measure health on the basis of geography. This creates an attribution problem, particularly in large urban centers, where multiple health care providers often serve any given neighborhood. We suggest potential innovations that could allow urban accountable care organizations to accept accountability, and rewards, for measurably improving population health.

The InterAcademy Partnership's Young Physician Leaders: A Leadership Training and Networking Program.

The research, clinical, public health, and health policy areas of the health sector all need effective leaders. However, many young professionals learn their leadership skills by trial and error as they advance through their careers. Though some countries are making efforts to incorporate leadership training programs into their medical curricula, the provision of such training is available in too few countries. To fill this gap and contribute to building capacity for future leadership among health professionals worldwide, the InterAcademy Partnership for Health launched its Young Physician Leaders (YPL) program in 2011. The program provides a tailored workshop on leadership; the opportunity, via the World Health Summit, to engage with global leaders in the field of medicine and health; a matchmaking mentorship scheme; a network of peers with whom to share experiences and exchange best practices; and an interactive website to post real-time professional information and gain visibility both nationally and internationally. To date, some 107 YPL, nominated by some 30 academies of science and medicine and six other institutions, have participated in the scheme. In addition, some 30 YPL alumni from about 20 countries were selected to attend the recent World Health Assembly (WHA69). As well as gaining first-hand experience of the decision-making processes of the WHA, the event helped build their individual capacities because they had the opportunity to link with their national decision makers in global health policy. Though there is room for expansion of the program, it has been well received as an approach to supporting the leadership development of a new generation of physicians who will eventually lead clinical, educational, and research institutions and contribute to their societies and globally to improve health for all.

Human resources for health: overcoming the crisis.

In this analysis of the global workforce, the Joint Learning Initiative-a consortium of more than 100 health leaders-proposes that mobilisation and strengthening of human resources for health, neglected yet critical, is central to combating health crises in some of the world's poorest countries and for building sustainable health systems in all countries. Nearly all countries are challenged by worker shortage, skill mix imbalance, maldistribution, negative work environment, and weak knowledge base. Especially in the poorest countries, the workforce is under assault by HIV/AIDS, out-migration, and inadequate investment. Effective country strategies should be backed by international reinforcement. Ultimately, the crisis in human resources is a shared problem requiring shared responsibility for cooperative action. Alliances for action are recommended to strengthen the performance of all existing actors while expanding space and energy for fresh actors.

The future of the public's health: vision, values, and strategies.

The expansive vision of modern public health, "healthy people in healthy communities," is politically charged. This paper offers a justification for this broad vision and offers concrete proposals. By pointing to the poor condition of public health agencies; urging a transition to an intersectoral public health system; promoting the adoption of bold changes in U.S. physical, social, and economic conditions; and endorsing a values shift to a commitment to collective interest in healthier communities, we hope to take a dramatic step toward achieving these aspirations for "healthy people in healthy communities."