Why do we need public health leaders?

Leadership is one of the core components of public health. The public health leaders mobilize people, organization and communities to tackle public health challenges. Low and middle-income countries constantly face the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs are found responsible for 68% of all deaths worldwide and pose a serious health threat to low and middle-income countries. They are also considered a barrier to development as they cause morbidity and mortality in the economically active age group (25 to 64 years) which results in loss of productivity as well as human capital. Lack of leadership hinders the implementation of proven strategies that address the growing burden of NCDs. Efficient leadership facilitates evidence-based public health practice and leads to the betterment of public health system performance. It is necessary to build implementation research capacity and leadership skills in the public health workforce to develop 21st-century global public health leaders. At this juncture, it is important to mention that leaders and managers are not the same. They differ in outlook, skills and behaviours.  

Skills required for a public health leader

Public health has recently started to explore the prospects of formal training in leadership to guide aspiring public health leaders. Its scope can be expanded with the help of those that can bring together various parties, disseminating knowledge and experiences gained from successful interactions. Besides, those who have proven their existence in the field can also share their experiences and real-time scenarios to individuals working towards making a career in this field.

The basic skills that are expected of a public health leader are:

• Personal growth and leadership excellence
• Leading organizational change
• Communication and assessment skills
• Public policy development
• Diversity and inclusion
• Systems thinking skills

Online course in public health leadership and research

James Lind Institute, Switzerland offers a master’s degree in public health leadership for entrants and professionals who are interested in taking up leadership roles in public health. This globally accredited dual master’s degree program – Master of Science in Public Health Management (MPH) – Public Health Leadership, is conducted in collaboration with International Telematic University, UNINETTUNO, Italy. This industry-specific training fine-tunes your skills to match the needs of the ever-growing market and help you find opportunities in various public and private healthcare organizations.

This is an online course with a duration of approximately 1.5 years and provides training on evidence-based care, managerial effectiveness, foundations in finance and accounting and leading teams. It consists of modules on strategic leadership theories and principles, leadership applications in public health, leadership and preparedness, leadership skills and competencies, leadership evaluation and research, epidemiology and evidence-based research, pharmaceutical medicine, data management and biostatistics, organizational management, change management, global health leadership and decision making.

The eligibility criterion to register in this course is a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any health or life science discipline. However, this program is of high interest to students from nursing, allied health, mental health, hospital administration, field-based healthcare workers and diagnostic professionals. For more details on this program as course structure, tuition fee, mode of assessment, careers and outcomes please visit our official website www.jliedu.ch