What We Do?
APHEA reviewers play a central role in ensuring the quality, relevance, and integrity of public health education through curriculum validation and the accreditation of programmes and institutions. Reviewers act as independent peers who assess whether public health education providers meet APHEA’s standards and support continuous quality improvement.
The accreditation process combines paper-based review work with peer review site visits. Reviewers assess documentation and evidence in advance and then participate in on-site visits to verify information through interviews, observations, and discussions with stakeholders. Their findings contribute to a structured evaluation report, which forms the basis for APHEA’s accreditation decisions.
Before a site visit, reviewers are expected to dedicate approximately 8 to 16 hours to preparatory work. This includes reviewing documentation, validating curricula, preparing lines of inquiry, drafting sections of the site visit report, and, where applicable, participating in preparatory team meetings or teleconferences.
Site visits take place on location and require full participation for the duration of the visit. Programme accreditation visits typically last two days, while institutional accreditation visits last three days. Reviewers attend meetings with institutional leadership, faculty, students, alumni, and external stakeholders, and participate in team discussions, including an executive session held on the evening before the visit begins.
During and after the visit, reviewers contribute to drafting the site visit report, which is coordinated by the site visit chair and rapporteur. Reviewers are expected to review and comment on the full report to ensure accuracy, balance, and evidence-based conclusions.
In addition to technical tasks, APHEA reviewers are expected to uphold high standards of professional conduct. This includes declaring conflicts of interest, maintaining strict confidentiality, demonstrating neutrality and objectivity, applying APHEA criteria consistently, and basing all judgments on triangulated evidence. Reviewers are also expected to communicate respectfully and empathetically, foster a constructive and trust-based review environment, and support the dissemination of continuous quality improvement principles beyond the accreditation visit.
To ensure consistency and excellence, APHEA provides structured training and guidance. Reviewers are required to participate in training activities before undertaking reviews and may take part in supervised practice as observers or trainees before being fully appointed to the APHEA reviewer roster.
Through their work, APHEA reviewers serve as ambassadors of the accreditation system and contribute directly to strengthening public health education as a foundation for better population health outcomes.