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Anita, L. Siegel, MPH, Marge Deichman, MBA, and Mia Luluquisen, DrPH. Public Health Department, Alameda County, 1000 Broadway, ste 500, Oakland, CA 94607, 510 267 8006, anita.siegel@acgov.org

This paper will describe an innovative management and leadership strategy that Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) is implementing. As with other public health institutions nationally, ACPHD faces similar workforce and leadership challenges. According to CDC, approximately 50 percent of middle- and senior-level health leaders will potentially retire in the next 7 years and take with them valuable institutional knowledge. However, most public health institutions lack of organizational succession plans that would preserve and transfer current leaders' public health skills and knowledge. Additionally, today's public health leaders face complex health and social justice issues at the root of health inequities that require strong skills in communication, collaboration, team building, and planning skills with multiple community and academic partners.

To proactively address the need for ensuring a core of public health leaders, Alameda County Public Health Department has implemented a Public Health Leadership Fellows Program. The program is aimed at preparing current and future leaders with tools, skills and knowledge, for the challenges they will face in guiding the ACPHD towards providing the most effective and highest quality public health programs and services to Alameda County residents. The Public Health Leadership Fellows Program is modeled after the National Public Health Leadership Institute, designed to promote expansive thinking and personal change to move the public health department to systematically address social justice and reduce health inequities. Starting out with twenty Fellows in 2006, ACPHD's program will develop personal leadership skills and involve them in a participatory strategic planning process.

Learning Objectives:

1.Describe the challenges that CDC identified regarding public health leadership across the United States; 2.Describe how the Leadership Fellows Program prepares participants to address current and future public health challenges, especially those that deal with health inequities;
• Describe the elements and activities that Leadership Fellows engage in with the Alameda County Public Health Department.

Keywords: Leadership, Training

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered