The Emerging Leaders in Public Health Initiative: Leadership Development to Advance Public Health Practice : Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

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The Emerging Leaders in Public Health Initiative: Leadership Development to Advance Public Health Practice

Schenck, Anna P. PhD, MSPH; Suttie, Janet MA; Orton, Stephen PhD; Carter-Edwards, Lori PhD, MPH; Herrick, Jeannine MPH; Meadows, Phyllis D. PhD, MSN, RN; Dinkin, Donna R. DrPH, MPH

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Journal of Public Health Management and Practice 29(6):p 802-809, November/December 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000001768

Abstract

Context: 

Effective leadership is essential for governmental public health agencies to promote and protect the health of their communities.

Objective: 

The Emerging Leaders in Public Health Initiative, a program of The Kresge Foundation, was implemented to strengthen leadership in governmental public health. We seek to examine lessons from the initiative to contribute to the field a better understanding of leadership development practices.

Design: 

An external evaluator conducted a retrospective analysis of participant responses postinitiative to assess the overall impact of the initiative and explore which components were most valuable.

Setting: 

United States.

Participants: 

Directors and other staff from governmental public health agencies were recruited in 2-person teams to participate in 3 successive cohorts.

Intervention: 

Drawn from adaptive leadership principles, a framework was developed to guide the selection and implementation of educational and experiential activities. Participants were challenged to develop a new role for their public health agency, which provided a learning laboratory to practice individual and team leadership skills. The Kresge Foundation provided participants with a resource grant and a National Program Office offered convenings, webinars, coaching, and technical assistance over the 18 months of the developmental experience.

Main Outcome Measures: 

Satisfaction, perceived value of components, and future intentions were assessed from participants in cohorts II and III (n = 70). The overall response rate was 93%.

Results: 

One hundred four diverse leaders from 52 agencies, representing 30 states participated in the initiative. Participants were extremely satisfied with the program (94%) and indicated a strong likelihood of recommending it to a colleague (96%). Unrestricted grant funding, peer learning, and in-person learning sessions were the program components rated most highly valuable.

Conclusions: 

This initiative offers insights into principles and processes to be considered for future public health leadership development.

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