Building Strategic Skills for Better Health A Primer for Public Health Professionals

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.

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.

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