The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #56227

Shadi S Saleh, PhD¹, Dwight Williams, MSW², and Modinat Balogun, MPH¹. (1) Health Policy, Management & Behavior, SUNY-Albany, One University Place, Rensselaer, NY, NY 12144, (518) 402-0299, ssaleh@albany.edu, (2) Director, Northeast Public Health Leadership Institute, University at Albany School of Public Health, One University Place, Rensselaer, NY 12144-3456

The aftermath of the September 11th tragedy and the threat of biological attack has taken public health out of the shadows and cast it into a more visible role in protecting the nation. The many changes and challenges facing public health today have led to an unprecedented number of efforts on the part of public health agencies and leaders to understand their roles and to develop staff with the skills needed to deliver essential services at the community level. The Northeast Public Health Leadership Institute (NEPHLI) is one of the leadership institutes developed across the country. The Institute training consists of a year-long experiential program that builds and improves the leadership skills of current and future public health practitioners. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of public health leadership training on the capacity of public health leaders to perform competencies derived from the Ten Essential Services. Graduating scholars of the Northeast Public Health Leadership Institute were surveyed to determine the change in their skill levels in 15 competency areas. Results showed that the training program improved the skill levels of participants in all 15 competency areas. A relationship was also detected between the frequency of use of the competency and the improvement experienced. Public health leadership training programs are effective in improving the skills of public health workers. The development of public health leaders is critical given the challenges that lay ahead.

Learning Objectives:

• - Get familiar with public health leadership training institutes
• - Be able to derive leadership competencies from the Ten Essential Services
• - Be able to evaluate the effectiveness of public health training programs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.