Public Health Leaders Research Articles

Viewpoint diversity in public health.

Schools of public health are often situated within universities but not infrequently also function as public health advocacy organizations. Viewpoint diversity on many issues is often limited within schools of public health and does not reflect the diversity one finds in society more generally. It is argued that welcoming, and even seeking out, viewpoint diversity within public health would contribute to understanding and knowledge, to the training public health leaders and academics who can serve the whole of society, and to working together across ideological lines to better contribute to population health.

Local Health Department Values and Organizational Authorities Guiding Cross-Sector Work During COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the role that local health departments (LHDs) have in cross sector can address alone, including the work of value alignment and the strategic use of organizational authorities. The practices by which LHDs used their authorities to conduct cross-sector work during the pandemic need exploration. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 public health leaders from metropolitan LHDs across the United States. Our interview guide assessed the values that LHD leadership prioritized in their cross-sector work as well as the range of organizational authorities they leveraged to influence external decision-making in other sectors. We found that LHDs approached cross-sector work by leaning on diverse values and authorities, each with unique implications for their work. The LHDs emphasized their approach to value alignment on a sector-by-sector basis, strategically using diverse organizational authorities-economic, political, moral, scientific, and logistical. While each authority and value we assessed was present across all interviewees, how each shaped action varied. Internally, LHDs emphasized certain authorities more than others to the degree that they more closely aligned with prioritized core values. Our findings highlight the ongoing need for LHD leadership to improve their ability to effectively communicate public health values and the unique authorities by which health-supporting work can be facilitated, including how this message must be adapted, depending on the specific sectors with which the LHD needs to partner and the governance arrangement in which the LHD is situated.

Parental Vaccine Hesitancy in a COVID-19 World: A Qualitative Study of Midwestern Parents' Decisions Regarding COVID-19 Vaccination for Their Children.

With the launch of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccines, a new cohort of people exists who do not consider themselves to be completely vaccine-hesitant, but are specifically COVID-19 vaccine hesitant (CVH). There is a need to learn from CVH parents, to ensure their concerns are addressed, and allow them to comfortably vaccinate their children against the COVID-19 virus. Surveys were used to identify CVH parents. Using semistructured interviews, we assessed the attitudes of CVH parents toward COVID-19 vaccination in children. An inductive coding method was used to analyze transcripts and develop themes. Fourteen parents were interviewed. Seven (50%) had received the COVID-19 vaccine even though they had doubts. Six reported that education about mRNA vaccine production was helpful in deciding to get vaccinated. Parents were reluctant regarding pediatric vaccination due to lack of long-term studies and concerns about adverse impact on childhood development. Personal physicians were the most trusted source of information and direct conversations with them were the most influential, as opposed to public health leaders like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. Our findings suggested that physicians are among the most trusted sources of information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine for CVH parents. Rather than use broad public health messaging and advertising to increase rates of vaccination, further investigation into training health professionals on how to counsel CVH patients effectively may be a higher impact area of opportunity to improve vaccine response rates.

For-Profit Businesses as Public Health Partners to Promote COVID-19 Vaccination: A Multiple Case Study.

This study aimed to describe the actions used by health professionals employed by large, for-profit businesses to promote uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, and factors that facilitated and hindered coordination with local public health leaders. In this qualitative multiple case study, we conducted telephone interviews with health professionals from businesses, health department leaders, and others who could provide information about local vaccination efforts (e.g., emergency managers, reporters). Businesses' self-interest (i.e., need to keep employees working), vaccine mandates, and characteristics of the businesses (e.g., ownership, expertise) facilitated leadership in COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Coordination with local health departments was influenced by the resources of the local health department and history of collaboration. Health professionals employed by large businesses can serve as key public health partners, but their role is shaped by characteristics of the businesses and communities.

Use of the Extension for Community Health Outcomes (ECHO) model for public health emergency response in Alaska

ABSTRACT Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a telehealth and virtual mentoring model. It is a scalable platform to create peer communities where professionals can gain knowledge, skills, and relevant information to their work and clinical practice. Key informant interviews of Alaska public health leaders, clinical providers, ECHO staff, and local government representatives were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and utility of the Project ECHO for COVID-19 response. Project ECHO session attendance and evaluation data were also reviewed. A combined total of 41,255 attendees participated in a COVID-19 response ECHO July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2022. Eight key informant interviews were conducted with individuals involved in leading or coordinating COVID-19 response efforts. Key informants identified four themes impacting the effectiveness of the Project ECHO model in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) Engagement, (2) Amplification, (3) Adaptability, and (4) Trust. In a rapidly changing pandemic, the ECHO model provided adaptive and effective virtual spaces where Alaskan providers, communities, elected officials, educators, and other stakeholders were able to receive tailored and up-to-date information on mitigation, treatment, and other concerns exacerbated by COVID-19.

Behavioral Outcomes of a Pragmatic Early Childhood Caries Management Trial.

To evaluate a preventative behavioral intervention for managing early childhood caries (ECC) in a cohort of high-risk children. This pragmatic trial of the MySmileBuddy Program (MSB) evaluated preventive behavioral outcomes in a 1-y community health worker-delivered intervention to prevent ECC progression. Pre-/postintervention surveys assessed parent-reported child engagement in therapeutic toothbrushing (i.e., adult-assisted brushing with fluoridated toothpaste twice daily) and caries-related dietary behaviors and barriers. Generalized linear model with identity link for continuous variables and logit link for dichotomous outcomes evaluated pre-/postintervention comparisons and generalized estimating equations accounted for within-participant correlation (α = 0.05). Among 1,130 children with postintervention data, the average age was 3.97 y, 99% were Medicaid insured, and 88% were Hispanic. Most parents (95%) were mothers/grandmothers, married or in a committed partnership (75%), unemployed (62%), and with modest education (80% high school degree or less). The odds of reported therapeutic brushing nearly doubled (n = 864; odds ratio [OR] = 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.46, 2.20, P < 0.001); day and night bottle/sippy cup frequencies dropped 0.29 units (n = 871; 95% CI = -0.37, -0.33, P < 0.001) and 0.22 units (n = 1,130; 95% CI = -0.30, -0.15, P < 0.001); nighttime breastfeeding reduced 0.15 units (n = 870; 95% CI = -0.21, -0.10, P < 0.001); sharing utensils reduced 0.30 units (n = 572; 95% CI = -0.39, -0.21, P < 0.001); not using sugary foods to calm child improved 0.37 units (n = 664; 95% CI = 0.31, 0.44, P < 0.001); odds of eating meals and snacks at a table increased (n = 572; OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.28, 1.93, P < 0.001; n = 572; OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.50, 2.15, P < 0.001) respectively; and reducing barriers to behaviors improved 0.38 units for toothbrushing (n = 666; 95% CI = 0.31, 0.44, P < 0.001) and 0.33 units for diet (n = 668; 95% CI = 0.29, 0.38, P < 0.001). Despite limitations inherent to pragmatic trials, significant behavioral changes suggest that MSB yielded an important salutary impact. Forthcoming mediation analyses will explore causal pathways. Findings support integration of MSB's behavior change program in caries management initiatives. The results of this study can be used by clinicians, public health leaders, and researchers to inform the development and implementation of community-based, preventative behaviorally focused early childhood caries prevention programs. Study findings may enhance the understanding of the impact of behavioral interventions that engage parents of young children and could lead to more effective prevention for populations at high-risk of caries.

A Call for a Transformative Public Health Training: The Necessity of Abolition.

The societal distrust of public health alongside the complex, intersecting, and large public health crises of today and our future requires a transformation of the education of the next generation of public health leaders. The field of public health's goals of health equity for all cannot be advanced until our field interrogates and resists the prison industrial complex (PIC), which maintains White supremacy and (re)produces health inequities. As current and former public health students, we propose incorporating abolition of the PIC as a political vision, structural and power analysis, and organizing strategy into the public health curriculum. We highlight gaps in the public health curriculum and the existing similarities between stated goals of abolition and public health. We propose calls to action for individuals, faculty, and schools of public health to interrogate the carceral nature of public health and work toward contributing to the positive project of an abolitionist future.

Impact of Racist Microaggressions and LGBTQ-Related Minority Stressors: Effects on Psychological Distress Among LGBTQ+ Young People of Color.

College students situated at the nexus of racial and sexual and gender minority (SGM) identities may experience multiple identity-related oppressions. We assessed whether racist microaggressions and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ)-related minority stressors (ie, family rejection, identity concealment, racialized heterosexism and/or cisgenderism, internalized LGBTQ-phobia, and victimization) are associated with greater psychological distress among SGM college students of color (SOC) (students who identified as Hispanic/Latinx and/or any nonwhite race). Participants were a subset of SOC (n = 200) from a larger nonprobability cross-sectional study of SGM college students. Participants were recruited by using online social media platforms and university email listserves from May through August 2020. Participants completed an online Qualtrics survey using previously validated measures of minority stress, racist microaggressions, and psychological distress. Simple and covariate-adjusted multiple linear regression models were used to examine the associations between racist microaggressions and LGBTQ-related minority stressors with psychological distress. In simple linear regression models, racist microaggressions and all LGBTQ-related stressors (ie, family rejection, identity concealment, racialized heterosexism and/or cisgenderism, internalized LGBTQ-phobia, and victimization) were significantly and positively associated with greater psychological distress. In covariate-adjusted multiple linear regression, racist microaggressions, internalized LGBTQ-phobia, and LGBTQ-related family rejection (but not identity concealment, racialized heterosexism and/or cisgenderism, and victimization) were independently and significantly associated with greater psychological distress. Study findings reveal that racist microaggressions, along with LGBTQ-related family rejection and internalized LGBTQ-phobia, have a significant impact on psychological distress among SGM SOC. Public health leaders have an important opportunity for policy and program development and reform to address the identity-related mental health needs of SGM SOC.

The Moderating Effect of Vaccine Hesitancy on the Relationship between the COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage Index and Vaccine Coverage.

To examine COVID-19 vaccination barriers in the US, this study drew on publicly available county-level data (n = 3130) to investigate the impact of vaccine hesitancy on the relationship between county-level social/structural barriers and vaccine coverage. A hierarchical regression was performed to establish the relationship between the COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage Index (CVAC) and vaccine coverage, assess the moderating effect of vaccine hesitancy on this relationship, and explore the influence of ethno-racial composition on vaccine coverage. A significant, negative relationship (r2 = 0.11, f2 = 0.12) between CVAC and vaccine coverage by county was established (step 1). When vaccine hesitancy was introduced as a moderator (step 2), the model significantly explained additional variance in vaccine coverage (r2 = 0.21, f2 = 0.27). Simple slopes analysis indicated a significant interaction effect, whereby the CVAC-vaccine coverage relationship was stronger in low hesitancy counties as compared with high hesitancy counties. Counties with low social/structural barriers (CVAC) but high hesitancy were projected to have 14% lower vaccine coverage. When county-level ethno-racial composition was introduced (step 3), higher proportions of white residents in a county predicted decreased vaccination rates (p < 0.05). Findings indicate that CVAC should be paired with vaccine hesitancy measures to better predict vaccine uptake. Moreover, counties with higher proportions of white residents led to decreases in vaccine uptake, suggesting that future intervention strategies should also target whites to reach herd immunity. We conclude that public health leaders and practitioners should address both social/structural and psychological barriers to vaccination to maximize vaccine coverage, with a particular focus on vaccine hesitancy in communities with minimal social/structural barriers.

Simulation as a key training method for inculcating public health leadership skills: a mixed methods study.

Successful management of public health challenges requires developing and nurturing leadership competencies. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of training simulations to assess public health leadership and decision-making competencies during emergencies as an effective learning and training method. We examined the effects of two simulation scenarios on public health school students in terms of their experience (compared to face-to-face learning) and new skills acquired for dealing with similar emergent situations in the future. A mixed-methods design included developing a validated and pre-tested questionnaire with open-and closed-ended questions that examined the simulation impact and the degree of student satisfaction with the conditions in which it was conducted. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with the students after going through the simulations. The questionnaire results were evaluated using descriptive analytics. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analyses. All data were collected during June 2022. The questionnaire results indicate that students strengthened their interpersonal communication skills and learned about the importance of listening to the opinions of others before formulating their positions. Four themes emerged from 16 in-depth interviews, according to Kolb's experimental learning cycle. Students emphasized the effectiveness of experiential learning versus traditional classroom learning. The simulation scenarios were felt to realistically convey critical issues regarding leadership, decision-making, and teamwork challenges. They effectively conveyed the importance of building a culture of conducting substantive and respectful discussions. Simulation is a powerful pedagogical training tool for public health leadership competencies. Simulations were seen to be advantageous over face-to-face learning in imparting a range of leadership skills and hands-on practice. We recommend integrating simulations in all public health leadership training programs.

Supporting Evidence-Based Care Through Informatics Innovation to Address the Overdose Epidemic.

Supporting Evidence-Based Care Through Informatics Innovation to Address the Overdose Epidemic.

Exploring communication by public health leaders and organizations during the pandemic: a content analysis of COVID-related tweets.

Health communication is an essential competency in public health practice. The increasing use of social media and the connectivity between the general public and public health leaders present a unique opportunity to explore how digital communications tools were leveraged in the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores Twitter-based communications from public health leaders and organizations across Canada and compares them with those from the World Health Organization (WHO). This research aimed to understand Twitter communications strategies to address the COVID-19 pandemic, other public health emergencies, and non-emergency public health issues. A content analysis of COVID-related Twitter content during the first wave of the pandemic (January 1-August 31, 2020) was performed. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) Policy Intervention Scan was used as a framework to analyze messaging from public health leaders and the WHO. Findings demonstrate that most tweets from public health leaders and organizations in Canada and the WHO focused on case management and public information. Gaps and areas of weakness identified include the lack of Twitter participation by some public health leaders and a narrow range of policy intervention topics, limiting the breadth and depth of public health messages. Strengthening communications can serve to improve information sharing in future pandemics or public health crises. Further research should assess how public health leaders and organizations applied communication best practices on all social media platforms and across different policy interventions.

Divergence and Convergence of the Public Health Leadership Competency Framework Against Others in Undergraduate Medical Education: A Scoping Review.

Objective: The following scoping review is aimed at identifying leadership competency frameworks in Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) by analyzing the thematic scopes, target audiences, and methods involved. A further objective is to compare the frameworks against a standard framework. Methods: The authors extracted the thematic scope and methods of each framework based on the original author's formulations in each selected paper. The target audience was divided into three sections: UME, medical education, and beyond medical education. The frameworks were converged and diverged against the public health leadership competency framework. Results: Thirty-three frameworks covering thematic scopes such as refugees and migrants were identified. The most common methods to develop leadership frameworks were reviews and interviews. The courses targeted multiple disciplines including medicine and nurses. The identified competency frameworks have not converged among important domains of leadership such as systems thinking, political leadership, leading change, and emotional intelligence. Conclusion: There is a variety of frameworks that support leadership in UME. Nevertheless, they are not consistent in vital domains to face worldwide health challenges. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary leadership competency frameworks which address health challenges should be used in UME.

Leading Change at Berkeley Public Health: Building the Anti-racist Community for Justice and Social Transformative Change

A transformative change grounded in a commitment to antiracism and racial and health equity is underway at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health. Responding to a confluence of national, state, and local circumstances, bold leadership, and a moral and disciplinary imperative to name and address racism as a root cause of health inequities, our community united around a common vision of becoming an antiracist institution. Berkeley Public Health has a long history of efforts supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice. Building upon those efforts, we pursued an institution-wide initiative, one that creates a more equitable and inclusive school of public health that models and supports the development of future public health leaders, practitioners, scholars, and educators. Grounded in the principles of cultural humility, we recognized that our vision was a journey, not a destination. This article describes our efforts from June 2020 through June 2022 in developing and implementing ARC4JSTC (Anti-racist Community for Justice and Social Transformative Change), a comprehensive, multiyear antiracist change initiative encompassing faculty and workforce development, student experience, curriculum and pedagogy, community engagement outreach, and business processes. Our work is data informed, grounded in principles of change management, and focused on building internal capacity to promote long-term change. Our discussion of lessons learned and next steps helps to inform our ongoing work and antiracist institutional change efforts at other schools and programs of public health.

The Emerging Leaders in Public Health Initiative: Individual Leadership Transformation.

The Emerging Leaders in Public Health (ELPH) Initiative, sponsored by The Kresge Foundation, provided leadership development to local governmental public health leaders. An adaptive leadership framework was used to shape the curriculum. The coleads attended multiday convenings and webinars over a 16- to 18-month period. Key components of the initiative included using applied learning to solidify their leadership skills as they worked to develop a new role for their agencies provision of a resource grant from The Kresge Foundation to support agency transformation and technical assistance and consultation provided by a National Program Office. An external evaluator conducted a multicomponent evaluation of individual leadership skill change. Graduates assessed change in their own leadership and change in their colead. Colleagues of ELPH participants were surveyed about their observed changes in the leadership actions of the program graduates. One hundred four leaders from 30 states participated in the initiative in 3 successive cohorts. Leaders demonstrated improvement as shown by self-report and external observation. Improved ability to communicate in a way that inspires others was one of the most significant changes in leadership behaviors. Additional leadership actions were strengthened including the ability to create and maintain high-performing teams, the ability to ask transformational questions, and the ability to actively listen to understand. The pandemic has shown the importance of developing the field, starting with leadership. Leadership development and agency transformation are synergistic; they depend on each other and support each other.

The Social Determinants of Health Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Adults in Nashville, Tennessee.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations experience widespread disparities in health outcomes, health behaviors, and access to care compared to their non-LGBT counterparts. Moreover, very few studies have either studied the social determinants of health (SDoH) of LGBT populations or LGBT health in large cities located in the US South. This study uses novel, community-informed, and representative data to study the SDoH of LGBT adults in Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee. Compared to non-LGBT adults (n = 1583), LGBT adults (n = 128) in Nashville, Tennessee, were more likely to report being dissatisfied with life and feeling emotionally upset or physical symptoms as a result of how they were treated based on their race/ethnicity compared to non-LGBT adults. LGBT adults in Nashville were also less likely to keep a firearm in the home than their non-LGBT peers. This study documents new disparities in the SDoH for LGBT adults living in one of the largest and fastest growing cities in the southeastern US. More research on LGBT populations in urban centers located in the US South is critically needed. Meanwhile, locally based community organizations and public health leaders may consider developing and testing innovative solutions to enhance social networks and social supports among LGBT populations. Addressing the SDoH among LGBT adults in southern cities will be essential for achieving health equity for all LGBT populations in the USA.

How do public health nurses in Norwegian school health services support siblings of children with complex care needs?

There is a paucity of data regarding the care and support provided by Norwegian school health services to siblings of children with complex care needs. Public health nurses are an integral part of these universal services, which focus on health promotion and disease prevention in primary and secondary schools. This study aimed to explore health promotion interventions by public health nurses for siblings in Norwegian schools and to identify regional differences. An online national questionnaire was distributed to Norwegian public health nurses and leaders of public health nursing services (N = 487). The questions were related to how the nurses support siblings of children with complex care needs. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. An inductive thematic analysis of free-text comments was conducted. The study was approved by the Norwegian Centre for Research Data. The majority of public health nursing leaders (67%) reported that the services in their municipality had no system to identify siblings or to provide them with routine care. However, 26% of public health nurses reported that routine support was provided to siblings. Regional differences were identified. This study included responses from 487 PHNs from all four health regions in Norway. The study design is limited and gives a brief outline of the current situation. Further data are needed to provide in-depth knowledge. This survey provides important knowledge for health authorities and professionals working with siblings, about inadequate support and regional differences in care provided to siblings by school health services.

Analysis of CEPH-accredited online public health doctoral programs and MPH degree holder demand.

The number of doctoral programs to train future public health leaders is critical in meeting the demand of global health challenges in the 21st century. Ten United States online public health doctoral programs accept only a fraction of interested learners. This research examines the launch of the first online public health doctoral program, accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, and compares nine similar programs that have followed in the ensuing 12 years. Survey results highlight the demand by Master of Public Health degree holders for online public health doctoral programs; 84.11% of survey respondents indicated an interest in obtaining a doctoral degree. If we strive to answer the question posed by the Institute of Medicine in 2003, "Who will keep the public healthy?" then we need to provide education that is accessible, efficient and equitable for interested learners, most of whom are turned down by online public health doctoral programs that have limited capacity.

The Emerging Leaders in Public Health Initiative: Leadership Development to Advance Public Health Practice.

Effective leadership is essential for governmental public health agencies to promote and protect the health of their communities. The Emerging Leaders in Public Health Initiative, a program of The Kresge Foundation, was implemented to strengthen leadership in governmental public health. We seek to examine lessons from the initiative to contribute to the field a better understanding of leadership development practices. An external evaluator conducted a retrospective analysis of participant responses postinitiative to assess the overall impact of the initiative and explore which components were most valuable. United States. Directors and other staff from governmental public health agencies were recruited in 2-person teams to participate in 3 successive cohorts. Drawn from adaptive leadership principles, a framework was developed to guide the selection and implementation of educational and experiential activities. Participants were challenged to develop a new role for their public health agency, which provided a learning laboratory to practice individual and team leadership skills. The Kresge Foundation provided participants with a resource grant and a National Program Office offered convenings, webinars, coaching, and technical assistance over the 18 months of the developmental experience. Satisfaction, perceived value of components, and future intentions were assessed from participants in cohorts II and III (n = 70). The overall response rate was 93%. One hundred four diverse leaders from 52 agencies, representing 30 states participated in the initiative. Participants were extremely satisfied with the program (94%) and indicated a strong likelihood of recommending it to a colleague (96%). Unrestricted grant funding, peer learning, and in-person learning sessions were the program components rated most highly valuable. This initiative offers insights into principles and processes to be considered for future public health leadership development.

A new precedent in international health cooperation from African public health leaders

A new precedent in international health cooperation from African public health leaders