About the Book
While academic programs prepare public health graduates for the technical challenges of practice, many professionals new to the field also need training in the cross-cutting strategic skills required for successful leadership and management of health agencies. Successful practitioners blend subject matter expertise with administrative and leadership acumen to ensure that improvements in public health reach the communities they serve.
Building Strategic Skills for Better Health: A Primer for Public Health Professionals offers a dynamic guide for implementing and developing leadership, management, and advocacy skills to transform public health work across disease-focused services toward integrated population health initiatives. Authored by key leaders in public health, this professional primer defines the nine essential strategic skills for effective public health practice across public health specialties:
· Systems and Strategic Thinking
· Change Management
· Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
· Effective Communication
· Resource Management
· Data-Based Decision-Making
· Policy Engagement
· Community Engagement
· Cross-Sectoral Partnerships
Building Strategic Skills for Better Health equips professionals at all levels with the workforce-readiness tools and knowledge needed to thrive in today's public health agencies.
Table of Contents:
Introduction to the Strategic Skills Framework
Michael R. Fraser and Brian C. Castrucci
Chapter 1: What PH WINS Tells Us About the Interests, Needs, and Satisfaction of the Public Health Workforce
Katie Sellers, Moriah Robins, and Kyle Bogaert
Chapter 2: Vision, Mission, Strategy, and Culture as Core Concepts of Public Health Practice
Michael R. Fraser
Chapter 3: Systems Thinking for Public Health Professionals
Jane Branscomb with James E. Dills, Glenn Landers, Karen J. Minyard, and Kristen Hassmiller Lich
Chapter 4: Change Leadership: The Opportunity for a Renewed Public Health Vision
Christina R. Welter, Kris Risley, Cynthia D. Lamberth, Jeannine Herrick, and Steve Orton
Chapter 5: Leading Change at the Team and Organizational Levels
Jeannine Herrick, Christina R. Welter, and Steve Orton
Chapter 6: Leading with a Health Equity Lens
Jewel Mullen
Chapter 7: Effective Communication
Renata Schiavo and Mayela Arana
Chapter 8: Managing and Leading in a Public Health 3.0 Era
Michael R. Fraser
Chapter 9: Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills for Public Health Practice
Michael R. Fraser
Chapter 10: Purpose, Passion, and the Public's Health: A Brief Guide to Employee Motivation and Engagement for Public Health Leaders and Managers
Amber Williams, Michael R. Fraser, and Robin Matthies
Chapter 11: Using Data to Guide Public Health Action and Societal Change
Catherine C. Slemp
Chapter 12: Strategic Resource Management
Edward M. Cahill
Chapter 13: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Public Health: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Teams to Optimize the Public's Health
Michael R. Fraser
Chapter 14: Growing Strategic Skills to Support Innovation in Governmental Public Health
Jessica Fisher, Reena Chudgar, and Grace Castillo
Chapter 15: Overview: Moving from Programs to Policies: The Public Health Professional as Advocate
Edward L. Hunter and Grace Castillo
Chapter 16: Policy Development and Engagement: Turning Evidence into Action
Katrina Forrest and Shelley Hearne
Chapter 17: Evidence-Based Policy Making and Public Health Practice
Marcus Plescia and Ross C. Brownson
Chapter 18: Public Health Informatics, Big Data, Advanced Analytics, and Emerging Technology
William J. Kassler
Chapter 19: Public Health's Essential Ingredient: Inclusive Community Engagement
Manal J. Aboelata and Sheila B. Savannah
Chapter 20: An Advocacy Primer for Public Health Practice
Carolyn Mullen and Laura Hanen
Afterword: Leading Public Health: A Look Ahead
Marissa J. Levine
About the Author :
Michael R. Fraser, PhD, MS, CAE, FCPP, is Chief Executive Officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). Dr. Fraser is the co-author of Vaccinating America: The Inside Story Behind the Race to Save Lives and End a Pandemic and A Public Health Guide to Ending the Opioid Epidemic. He has also authored many research publications and articles on public health preparedness, infrastructure, and
leadership. He is an affiliated faculty member at the George Mason University College of Public Health.
Brian C. Castrucci, DrPH, is President and Chief Executive Officer of the de Beaumont Foundation. In partnership with a strong and dedicated team, Dr. Castrucci has built the Foundation into a leading voice in health philanthropy and public health practice. Prior to joining the de Beaumont Foundation, Dr. Castrucci spent a decade working in state and local governmental public health agencies. In addition to his practice experience, Dr. Castrucci has authored nearly 100
peer-reviewed articles and edited six books on public health. His varied background in public health research and practice gives him a unique perspective, through which he shapes and implements visionary and practical
initiatives to improve public health outcomes. Most recently, he has focused on policy solutions as a path to better health; the need for better, more equitable data systems; and improvements to public health practice.
Review :
This must-have book empowers professionals to drive health equity, evidence-based programs, and policymaking toward a healthier, brighter, and more just future. Advance your public health practice by exploring the strategic skills required for success in innovation, leadership, and diversity with insights into informatics, big data, and technology.
With the increasing national focus on foundational public health capabilities, this primer is arriving just at the right time. It's a highly useful overview of critical skills for the practical work of helping communities become healthier.
Building Strategic Skills for Better Health provides a shortcut to accelerate the development of critically needed skills among our already dedicated public health professionals. This resource will also help me as a professor to prepare job-ready graduates to safeguard the public's health.
Building Strategic Skills for Better Health is an evidence- and experience-based primer that will help public health practitioners across disciplines to become more adept and confident in their work.
This is an invaluable, practical resource for public health professionals looking to tackle complex issues and improve health outcomes—a must-read for anyone committed to advancing the health and well-being of our communities.
Finding a way to address cross-cutting leadership, management, and strategic challenges; not just the scientific or technical challenges of specific diseases; is a major issue facing the contemporary public health workforce. This volume will help prepare the workforce to lead through these issues and support their continued professional development in new ways, with new skills.
