Online Program

285122
Demonstrating impact of a national leadership training program for state health officials: Individual, organizational, and system-wide factors influencing program effectiveness


Wednesday, November 6, 2013 : 9:10 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Sue Ann Sarpy, MS, PhD, Sarpy and Associates, Charlottesville, VA
Eleanor Moran, B.A., Interdisciplinary Department and Department of Political Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
To date, relatively few studies have evaluated the effects of public health leadership programs on workforce development. The present evaluation process was designed to provide both quantitative and qualitative evidence of the extent to which the State Health Leadership Initiative (SHLI), developed and presented by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), positively impacts the training-related knowledge and behaviors of participating new State Health Officials (SHOs). The SHLI program was developed to accelerate the leadership capacity development of new state and territorial health officials as policy makers, administrators, and advocates for the health of the public. The present evaluation assesses the effectiveness of the SHLI in meeting its goals in equipping new state and territorial health officials with the skills needed to lead their public health agency and advise the Governor on public health, thereby, taking on a more active role in policy-making at the state level. In better understanding program impact, it is also vital to identify and examine various individual, organizational, and system-wide factors that influence program effectiveness. In this way, the evaluation measures the success of the SHLI program in meeting its specific objectives as well as assesses the extent to which the extra-training factors (e.g., individual characteristics, organizational barrier and facilitators) influence program effectiveness. The information can be used to not only refine major program components as needed, but also the evaluation can be used to systematically address related issues such as potential program reach. Collectively, the evaluation process can be used to ensure continuous improvement and program excellence of the SHLI and related leadership training programs designed for the public health workforce.

Learning Areas:

Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice

Learning Objectives:
Describe the evaluation process used to assess impact of a national leadership training on public health leaders. Identify the individual, organizational, and system-wide factors influencing effectiveness of leadership training programs for public health workforce development.

Keyword(s): Evaluation, Leadership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have over 20 years of applied and academic experience in intervention effectiveness research. I have served as principal scientist for various research projects that evaluate the effectiveness of interventions including labor and minority worker safety training, and leadership and emergency preparedness training programs for public health workers. I have also served as lead evaluator for the South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness and South Central Public Health Training Center for Tulane University.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.