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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Christopher Atchison, MPA, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, 2734 Steindler Building, Iowa City, IA 52242, 319-335-9624, Chris-atchison@uiowa.edu, Joan Henneberry, Center for Best Practices, National Governor's Association, 444 North Capitol - Suite 267, Washington, DC 20001, George E. Hardy, MD, MPH, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, 1275 K. St. N.W., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005-4006, and Anthony R. Kovner, PhD, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University, 40 West Fourth St., 600 Tisch Hall, New York, NY 10012-1118.
Recent events have demonstrated the critical role that a state health official plays in leading the public health response to a crisis. However, the frequent turnover in these offices, on average every two years, suggests that a state health officer must be quickly oriented to all aspects of the job if they are to be successful. In 1998 the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in collaboration with the National Governor's Association and other partners, established the State Health Leadership Initiative (SHLI) to meet this challenge. Components of the initiative included: orientation to expectations of public office, the partnering the new health official with an experienced colleague, provision of personal skills assessment; enrollment in an academic program for state health leadership, and funding for further personal development activities.
This presentation will discuss the design, operation and effects of the elements of this program, outline lessons learned in program operation and share the experience of health officials as they reflect on their adjustment to office and state public health leadership. Information presented will include a preliminary evaluation of the effect of the program's effect and discussion of steps that must be taken to the heightened challenge of state health leadership.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Leadership, Public Health Infrastructure
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
National Governor's Association
Center for Health Leadership
Kennedy School of Government
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: National Program Director for RWJ