title: A prescription for change: the need for qualified physician leadership in public health.
abstract: A key element missing in the federal bioterrorism preparedness plan is qualified physician leadership at the local level. Physicians now lead fewer than one-fourth of local health departments. When appointed leaders are not physicians, leadership falls on elected officials or non-medical administrators who become managers of outbreaks. As illustrated in recent case examples, these leaders may find themselves in medical emergencies that they are not qualified to handle. In serious disease outbreaks, unprepared leadership could contribute to unnecessary illness and death. Here I propose strategies to increase qualified physician leadership in state and local public health infrastructures.
authors.affiliation: Program on Science and Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Laura H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Kahn
mesh_terms: D023482:Bioterrorism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002959:Civil Defense / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D009111:Local Government; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D008486:Physician Executives / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards; D010819:Physician's Role; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013219:State Government; D014481:United States