Matching documented training needs with practical capacity: lessons learned from Project Public Health Ready.

The Upper Midwest offers a distinct environment for identifying and addressing threat and preparedness scenarios. The population is often scattered, with residents using urban centers periodically. This has also led to the challenge of providing specific skills and cross-disciplinary awareness and coordination to the public health community. The Upper Midwest Center for Public Health Preparedness was established by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assist in meeting the challenge of adding capacity to develop the preparedness workforce in the Upper Midwest. Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) provides an example of the role academic preparedness centers can play in partnering with local public health agencies to strengthen the public health workforce. The purpose of this article is to present the Iowa Systems Model for Workforce Development being utilized for workforce training and education, describe how the model has been applied in the example of PPHR, and discuss lessons learned from the PPHR experience.