PHI Center Expands Programs to Build Pipeline and Capacity of Public Health Leaders

Creating a Pipeline of Public Health Leaders

During 2023, the PHI Center for Health Leadership & Impact (CHLI) expanded its programs to develop a pipeline of new public health leaders and strengthened the skills and leadership capacity of individuals and teams to address complex public health challenges and transform their communities.

This same year, CHLI worked alongside 188 leaders who participated in their state and national programs, helping them to tackle key issues such as substance use and the overdose crisis, lack of affordable housing, HIV/AIDS, and violence.

CHLI offered multiple statewide and national programs in the following key areas:

Advancing Leadership: CHLI’s Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health (LAPH) provided individuals and teams with the tools and skills to assess and address complex real-world issues and events, while advancing health equity and racial justice. They offered a California-based academy (CALAPH) and national academy (NLAPH). Through their Leadership Learning Network they bring together alumni from LAPH programs (NLAPH and CALAPH) and provide continued learning and engagement opportunities in public health leadership.

Overdose Prevention: CHLI’s Overdose Prevention Network runs both nationally and in California. The California Overdose Prevention Network (COPN) is the largest overdose prevention network in the country with active coalitions serving 85% of California’s 39 million people. Through CHLI’s COPN Accelerator, local coalitions participate in a 12-month cohort program to share ideas, discover prevention strategies, and prevent overdose deaths.

Public Health Workforce Development: CHLI’s Leadership Pathways for the Public’s Health offers internships, employment, service year, and research opportunities for current and future public health professionals through partnerships with AmeriCorps, governmental public health departments, and schools/programs of public health. CHLI launched the California Academic Health Department to build connections between California public health schools/programs and governmental public health and has collaborated with PHI’s California Alliance of Academics & Communities for Public Health Equity (California Alliance) to build connections between public health educators, programs, and communities most impacted by health inequities.

In order to continue to meet the needs of participants, CHLI expanded its newest initiative in 2023 – Workforce Pathways for the Public’s Health – focusing on creating a more equitable workforce by sponsoring the second largest AmeriCorps VISTA program in the Western region and launching a new public health residency program.

Impacts on Leadership, Capacity Building

In 2023, and in collaboration with the Center for Community Health and Evaluation, CHLI evaluated the impact of their different programs. Based on evaluation data from participants, they found:

• 97% of participants in CHLI programs reported the programs improved their effectiveness in working across sectors to achieve common goals.
• 97% of participants across CHLI programs would recommend the program[s] to colleagues.
• 100% of participants across CHLI programs said their participation contributed to their organization and/or coalition making progress towards their goals.