Understanding Public Health Leadership: From Frameworks to Practice

HPM 503 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

Understanding public health leadership represents a dynamic, lifelong process. Among other things, it can involve discovering and applying theories and frameworks, learning from proven and effective real-world leaders, analyzing strategies and skills such leaders have employed, and engaging in personal reflection. Of note, theory and science alone are never enough to enable change; effective practitioners must also constantly revisit their commitment, motivations, and skills to lead. Strategies include improving systems thinking, generating creative options to address pressing problems, and effectively communicating decisions to motivate change. In this seminar course, students will address these dimensions, among others, to nourish and revisit their own personal concepts of public health leadership for their future careers.

To be admitted to this four-day course, students must first complete a brief online application describing their current views on leadership. Those accepted to the course will then: 1) learn about a range of modern-day leadership frameworks and strategies, 2) study specially designed leadership case studies about three national public health leaders who tackle complex societal challenges, as well as interact directly with them in the class, and 3) reflect in small groups about lessons learned. In their final essay, students will compare/contrast how the leadership frameworks apply to these national leaders; analyze the effectiveness of the leaders’ decision-making and communication strategies; and reflect on how the weeklong class experience affects and changes their own personal views on leadership.