Editorial: Ensuring public health: the active role of healthcare professionals

The Research Topic “Ensuring public health: the active role of healthcare professionals,” hosted by Frontiers in Public Health, reached a wide audience by providing a platform not only for clinical research at micro level, but also for studies exploring the integration of social and healthcare services at the meso and macro levels of health systems. It activelym encouraged contributions from healthcare professionals (HCPs), especially belonging to the allied health disciplines. For this reason, the Research Topic sought to promote greater integration between the Public Health Education and Promotion and Health Economics subsections of Frontiers in Public Health. When this Research Topic was first proposed more than two years ago, the Editors aimed to gather evidence on how research conducted by HCPs—focused on the continuous optimization of services delivery processes, health management, and the implementation of innovation through multiprofessionals multidisciplinary approaches-, could strengthen integrated social and healthcare services within personalized care pathways. There was a clear need to synthesize experiences aimed at fostering proactive and coordinated care for every citizen, encouraging health and social care systems to assume responsibility not only for addressing illness, but also for ensuring equitable protection of health and promoting a higher quality of life. This vision extends beyond merely meeting healthcare needs, embracing instead a broader commitment to prevention, integration, and long-term wellbeing for all.