THE PUBLIC-HEALTH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE - LEADERSHIP TRAINING FOR STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH OFFICERS

This paper describes the Public Health Leadership Institute (PHLI), a program designed to expand and enhance the leadership skills of senior public health officials. The background of PHLI is discussed, and org anizations responsible for its organization, governance and funding ar e revealed. Methods of selecting a cohort of scholars to participate e ach year, along with the characteristics of scholars selected, are bri efly outlined. A calendar of events and description of PHLI curriculum is included. Specific features of the PHLI program, including peer-le arning through electronic conferencing, the one-week learning retreat, and the required action-learning projects are described. Also include d are results from an evaluation by 99 participants from the first two years of PHLI's existence. The evaluation is based on a survey of the participants' satisfaction with the program and its personal and inst itutional effects. The Public Health Leadership Institute provides a m odel of leadership development for senior public health agency officia ls. The program has been popular with participants, and the vast major ity report improved leadership skills. The personal and organizational effects of PHLI address the deficits in leadership identified in the Institute of Medicine's report, The Future of Public Health.