ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces 'public health' and offer some definitions for key terms including 'health', 'wellbeing' and collaborative practice in public health. It provides some insight into the context in which practitioners work; discussion of the diversity and differences which are encompassed by the term 'public health'. The chapter identifies how students and practitioners can approach interprofessional practice through case studies and opportunities for reflection. The Faculty of Public Health takes the approach that public health is population-based and places emphasis on the collective responsibility for health. The World Health Organization, the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations System, defines public health as referring to: all organized measures to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole. The WHO definition of health as 'a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity'.
