We read with interest the article "Public Health as a Distinct Profession: Has it Arrived?" by our colleagues Evashwick et al.1 We commend them for this thoughtful review of the development of our field and their call for the recognition of public health as a profession. In the spirit of the ever-evolving nature of our profession, we write to inform your readers of the continuing progress of the certification movement and of advances that have already been made since this article was prepared for publication.

The article states that "the criterion of the Certified in Public Health (CPH) is problematic ... in that the CPH examination is limited to those who have a graduate degree."1 We wish to first clarify that the CPH examination since its inception has been available to any graduate of a Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)-accredited school or program, not exclusively to those with public health degrees. Furthermore, since 2011, the CPH examination has been open to students in accredited schools and programs, who have completed 21 graduate credit hours, inclusive of the CEPH-required core curriculum, as well as graduates of these same schools and programs. This enables schools and programs to use the examination as a measure of program quality as well as student achievement of competence. To further promote this use, the CPH examination is now administered twice each year, in February and October, and can be offered on-site in a paper and pencil format for those institutions for whom travel to a computerized testing site is problematic or for those wishing to proctor their own administration of the examination.

The article goes on to state that "the initial launch of the CPH restricts eligibility to those with certain degrees ... opening up the credential to those with work experience and academic training is being discussed as one way to establish its workplace value more quickly."1 We are very pleased to report that we have already opened eligibility to these groups as well as to faculty in accredited schools and programs; we intend to report on this experience once we have data. Persons in the public health workforce, persons with relevant advanced degrees and faculty in accredited schools and programs will be considered for eligibility beginning with the October 2013 examination. Eligibility for the CPH examination still requires completion of the CEPH-required core curriculum from an accredited school or program but no longer requires completion of a graduate degree. We agree that the perceived value of certification will be accelerated if more of our colleagues have access to it. We further agree that the true value of the certification is in promoting the recognition of public health as a profession with responsibilities and obligations to maintain currency of knowledge through continuing professional development, a requirement of maintaining certification and a hallmark of a true profession.

For more information on the CPH examination, please visit http://www.nbphe.org.

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