Leading the way (Spring, 2008)

April 28, 2008

School programs focus on creating leadership opportunities for working public health professionals

While every academic program at our School embraces leadership development as a principal foundation, several special programs provide specific opportunities for leadership growth. Some offer distance education opportunities for working public health professionals. Others prepare mid-career professionals for senior-level positions. Below are highlights of some of these programs.

• Executive Doctoral Program in Health Leadership (DrPH Program): UNC’s Doctoral Program in Health Leadership — the world’s first distance DrPH program — prepares mid-career professionals for senior-level positions in organizations working domestically and internationally to improve the public’s health. The threeyear, cohort-based distance program targets individuals working full-time with substantial leadership responsibilities in communities, organizations and institutions. With the exception of three short visits to Chapel Hill in each of years one and two, learning takes place in participants’ homes and offices, away from the UNC campus. Students connect to faculty and peers mainly via computer, making substantial use of technology that allows students and faculty to share data and interact productively via live video and audio. The distance format allows working professionals to complete doctoral leadership training while continuing full-time employment, remaining in-country throughout the duration of their education. For more information, visit www.sph.unc.edu/ hpaa/executive_drph.
• Executive Master’s Programs: The UNC School of Public Health’s Executive Master’s Programs are consistently ranked among the top in the country. The School’s Executive Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) is aimed at working, mid-career professionals seeking senior executive positions in health care while the Executive Master of Public Health (MPH) is geared toward working professionals pursuing top-level executive positions in public health. The curriculum for both programs emphasizes public health, financial management, general management, and analysis and systems, and culminates in the development and presentation of an integrated business plan. Both programs are part of the School’s Department of Health Policy and Administration. For more information, visit www.sph.unc.edu/hpaa/executive_masters_programs.html.
• Emerging Leaders in Public Health (ELPH): This collaboration of the UNC School of Public Health’s North Carolina Institute for Public Health and the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School provides leadership and management training to minority health professionals. Participants are selected for an intensive nine-month program focused on managing in times of crisis. Because racial and ethnic health disparities are best addressed when communities identify with policy- and decision-makers, the program seeks to strengthen the outreach capability of health systems by preparing leaders who can work with diverse communities. The program is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. For more information, visit www.publichealthleaders.org.
• Public Health Leadership Program (PHLP): The Public Health Leadership Program prepares public health practitioners to assume greater leadership responsibilities and, in particular, to meet leadership challenges wherever they occur throughout the world. Through certificates and graduate degrees offered in both residential and distance learning formats, the program brings an interdisciplinary approach to the development of population-level knowledge and skills. PHLP offers a Public Health Leadership Certificate, an Occupational Health Nursing certificate, a Master of Public Health degree in three concentration areas and a Master of Science degree in public health/occupational health nursing. For more information, visit www.sph.unc.edu/phlp.
• Southeast Public Health Leadership Institute (SEPHLI): SEPHLI is a year-long leadership development program for midto senior-level public health administrators working in North Carolina, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia or West Virginia. The Institute supports the strengthening of leadership competencies, such as creating a shared vision, personal awareness, systems thinking, risk communication, team building, ethical decision making and political and social change strategies. Scholars interact with local and national leaders during retreats, phone conferences and online computer discussion forums. The program is part of the North Carolina Institute for Public Health. For more information, visit www.sephli.org.
• Management Academy for Public Health (MAPH): MA PH is a nine-month executive education course customized for health managers in the public health system. Teams learn skills in managing people, money, data and partners. To practice their skills and improve their organizations, MA PH students work in teams to develop a business plan. Courses are taught by faculty from the UNC School of Public Health and the Kenan-Flagler Business School. The program is administered through the North Carolina Institute for Public Health. For more information, visit www.maph.unc.edu.
• National Public Health Leadership Institute: The institute focuses on strengthening the leadership competencies of senior-level decision makers who lead major public or private health organizations. Faculty and staff engage leaders in teams from around the United States in individual and organization change efforts. The institute strives to assure that officials efficiently and effectively respond to challenges in the twenty-first century. The program is based at the North Carolina Institute for Public Health — the service arm of the UNC School of Public Health — in partnership with the Center for Health Leadership and Practice, a center of the Public Health Institute in Oakland Calif., and the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro N.C. For more information, visit www.phli.org.
• Management and Supervision for Public Health Nurse Supervisors and Directors: This three-week course, begun in 1961, provides leadership growth opportunities for nurses — the largest group of public health workers in North Carolina. The event is held at GlaxoSmithKline in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Course faculty include representatives from the UNC School of Public Health’s Office of Continuing Education; UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government; North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Public Health Nursing and Professional Development; and local public health leaders and private consultants. For more information, visit www.sph.unc.edu/oce/ nurse_managers.html.
• FAST TRAC K Leadership Development Program: FAST TRA CK Leadership is a three-and-a-half day intensive leadership development program that focuses on leadership and management skills for individuals from a variety of backgrounds, including public health, academia, government and business. The program is designed to significantly expand self awareness and quickly build practical skills for effectively leading and managing people. Facilitated by faculty from the UNC School of Public Health, the program teaches how to create the kind of organizational culture that engages and motivates employees. Six of the most respected psychological assessment tools form the foundation of the program. Personalized executive coaching and expert facilitation guide each participant’s individual development plan. For more information, visit www.FastTrackLeadership.org.

Carolina Public Health is a publication of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health. To subscribe to Carolina Public Health or to view the entire Spring 2008 issue in PDF, visit www.sph.unc.edu/cph.