Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116561

Michelle C. Kegler, DrPH, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, 404/712-9957, mkegler@sph.emory.edu, Sarah M. Hall, RN, MSN, MPH, WellStar School of Nursing, Kennesaw State University, 1000 Chastain Rd. #1601, Kennesaw, GA 30144, Mimi Kiser, RN, MPH, Interfaith Health Program, Emory University, 1256 Briarcliff Rd. NE Bldg A, Suite 107, Atlanta, GA 30306, and Brad Gray, Community Outreach Partnership Center, Vanderbilt Institute on Public Policy, 1207 18th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37212.

The Institute for Public Health and Faith Collaborations was designed to develop boundary leadership for community transformation that contributes to the elimination of health disparities. Teams of health and religious leaders from 43 communities around the country attended one of six four-day Institutes. The Institute cultivated boundary leadership through both individual and team learning. Content covered: the nature of health disparities, self and leadership awareness, role of tension in leadership relationships and community transformation, systems thinking, boundary leadership, and development of a concrete plan for collaborative leadership action to address health disparities. The evaluation was multifaceted with post-course written surveys using a retrospective pre-test design (n=220, response rate=89.8%), small group discussions, and semi-structured telephone interviews with one or two members of each team six to eight months after the Institute (n=62). Survey results showed greatest self-reported learning in understanding organizational frames, why reframing is necessary for creating successful community change strategies, and the role of boundary leaders in community systems change. Follow-up interviews asked participants about the top one or two things they learned, how their leadership changed as a result of the Institute, and what their teams had accomplished since the Institute. Findings from both the surveys and the semi-structured interviews will be reported in this presentation, along with implications for faith health collaborations and their potential to decrease health disparities.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Describe one approach to evaluating a leadership development training for faith and health leaders;
• Describe the types of accomplishments that faith and health teams are making in their efforts to eliminate health disparities

Keywords: Health Disparities, Community Collaboration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation