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.