National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE)

What National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) does

The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) is an independent non-profit certification organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with 27 employees. NBPHE administers the Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential — first offered in 2008 and now reaching professionals in over 95 countries — alongside three newer programs: Certified in Disease Intervention (CDI, launched 2024), Certified in Public Health Nursing (CPHN), and Certified in Public Health Essentials (CPHE). The organization conducts quinquennial Job Task Analyses surveying thousands of practitioners to ensure exam content reflects current public health practice across five core domains: Evidence-Based Approaches, Population Health and Communication, Leadership, Systems Thinking, and Planning and Analysis.

NBPHE's technology infrastructure consists of two certificant self-service portals (My CPH Portal and My CDI Portal, both built on the Prolydian platform), a public certification verification system, and exam delivery through Meazure Learning's computer-based testing centers with live remote proctoring. The business model combines one-time exam fees (CPH, CDI) with recurring recertification subscriptions and ancillary revenue from study materials and organizational volume discounts. Recertification requires certificants to submit continuing education activities through the portal, generating predictable subscription revenue. Active certificants have reported over 500,000 education hours toward maintenance of credential.

Go-to-market relies on partnerships with CEPH-accredited schools of public health, APHA, NACCHO, and state/regional public health associations, supplemented by a CPH Ambassadors referral program, monthly Webinar Wednesday sessions, and the NBPHE Book Club for recertification credit. Customers include individual public health practitioners across government agencies (Virginia Beach Department of Public Health, Indianapolis EMS), academic institutions (University of Pittsburgh, University of Toronto, University of Malawi), and private enterprises (Propel Health). Governance is led by President Allison Foster and Board Chair David R. Buys (appointed September 2025), with Lori Freeman (NACCHO CEO) as Secretary/Treasurer.

Name

National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE)

Legal name

National Board of Public Health Examiners

Website

https://nbphe.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NBPHE is an independent non-profit certification body that administers the Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential and related credentials (CDI, CPHN, CPHE) for public health professionals across 95+ countries, generating revenue through exam fees and recurring recertification subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification Services

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Clinical Professional Certifications (EDAAANAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Healthcare Clinical Professions (CME/CE for Nurses, Allied Health, Pharmacy) (EDAAALAC), Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF), Chronic Disease & NCD Program Evaluation (e.g., diabetes/CVD/cancer) (HLAJANAG)

Keywords

• Professional certification services
• Public health credentials
• Certification exam administration
• Continuing education programs
• Credentialing standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. CPH Certification Exams: Fees charged for initial certification exams. Candidates pay examination fees to become Certified in Public Health.
2. CDI Certification Exams: Fees charged for Certified in Disease Intervention certification exams.
3. Recertification Fees: Ongoing fees for maintaining certification through the recertification cycle. Certificants must demonstrate continuing education and professional development.
4. Study Resources and Materials: Sale of exam preparation materials, candidate handbooks, and study guides for certification candidates.
5. Partnership and Organizational Discounts: Volume discounts and partnership arrangements with organizations that encourage staff certification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NBPHE develops, administers, and maintains professional certification programs for the public health workforce. Its core offerings include the Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential along with newer certifications for disease intervention, public health nursing, and public health essentials, delivered through computer-based exams and supported by online portals for certificant management and recertification.

Product overview

NBPHE offers a portfolio of professional certification programs for the public health workforce. The core offerings include the Certified in Public Health (CPH) as the flagship credential, alongside newer certifications including Certified in Disease Intervention (CDI), Certified in Public Health Nursing (CPHN), and Certified in Public Health Essentials (CPHE). These certifications are supported by online portal systems (My CPH Portal and My CDI Portal) for certificant management, as well as continuing education programs such as the NBPHE Book Club and Webinar Wednesday series that enable professionals to earn recertification credits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NBPHE Book Club: Brings together certified public health and disease intervention professionals to explore timely topics through engaging books and thoughtful discussion, with opportunity to earn recertification credits.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95 countries represented by certificants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEPH is the accrediting body for schools of public health. NBPHE collaborates with CEPH on accreditation standards, including proposed lifelong learning criteria that would recognize CPH certification as part of MPH program accreditation.
• American Public Health Association (APHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPHA is a key partner in promoting public health certification. The proposed CEPH accreditation criteria includes APHA as an exposure to professional structures for lifelong learning alongside the CPH credential.
• State and Regional Public Health AssociationscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerState and regional public health associations are identified as key partners for exposing students and members to professional structures supporting lifelong learning in public health.
• Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPTR representatives participate on NBPHE committees including the Governance Committee, contributing to the organization's strategic direction.
• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNACCHO represents local health departments. Board member representation from NACCHO strengthens connections between certification and practice workforce.
• Meazure Learning (Testing Partner)coreTechnology or IntegrationMeazure Learning provides computer-based testing services for CPH certification exams through their assessment platform, including live proctoring capabilities.
• Schools of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEPH-accredited schools of public health are key partners in preparing students for certification and integrating CPH into academic curriculum. Over 95 countries represented by alumni.
• Horizon FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored research article on public health policy and advocacy capacity using NBPHE certification and workforce data.
• Weitzman InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored research on public health workforce policy and advocacy skills using NBPHE data, contributing to evidence base for certification.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Board for Respiratory Care: NBRC credentials respiratory therapists through CRT/RRT examinations with ongoing competency requirements, mirroring NBPHE's exam-based, recertification-required national credentialing model for a defined allied health profession.
• National Board for Certified Counselors: NBCC credential counselors and behavioral health professionals through the NCC certification, operating a structurally similar model to NBPHE: a national board administering an exam-based credential with required continuing education for ongoing certification.
• American Board of Preventive Medicine: ABPM provides board certification for preventive medicine physicians, directly overlapping with NBPHE's public health professional scope but credentialing physicians specifically, offering a physician-centric alternative to NBPHE's cross-cutting public health credential.
• National Commission for Health Education Credentialing: NCHEC administers the CHES/MCHES certifications for health education specialists, mirroring NBPHE's role as a national board credentialing a distinct public-health-adjacent workforce with similar exam-based, recertification-required model.
• Commission on Dietetic Registration: CDR is the credentialing body for Registered Dietitians and Nutritionists, operating with a comparable structure to NBPHE: a focused certifying organization offering an exam-based credential, recertification cycles, and partnership with academic programs.
• National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians: NREMT certifies EMS professionals nationally through competency-based examination with recertification requirements, providing a directly comparable single-purpose national credentialing body serving a public-safety-adjacent health workforce.
• American Registry of Radiologic Technologists: ARRT certifies and registers radiologic technologists through examinations and continuing education requirements, serving as a structurally similar single-purpose national credentialing organization with comparable revenue model (exam fees, annual renewal).

Broad incumbents

• American Nurses Credentialing Center: ANCC is the large, established credentialing arm of the American Nurses Association offering specialty certifications and Magnet recognition, comparable to NBPHE in certifying healthcare professionals but operating at significantly larger scale and across nursing specialties rather than public health.
• National Board of Medical Examiners: NBME is a much larger, established assessment organization developing medical licensing examinations (USMLE) for physicians; comparable in function as an exam-based credentialing body but operating at far greater scale and with broader scope than NBPHE.

Others

• Council on Education for Public Health: CEPH is NBPHE's strategic partner that accredits schools and programs of public health. While not a direct competitor, CEPH's accreditation decisions directly influence NBPHE's addressable market, making it a closely adjacent ecosystem participant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/publichealthcert.bsky.social
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CPHcertification
• Facebookfacebook.com/CPHcertification
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nbphe-org
• Instagraminstagram.com/cphcertification

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE)