title: An evaluation of the National Public Health Leadership Institute--1991-2006: part II. Strengthening public health leadership networks, systems, and infrastructure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The year-long National Public Health Leadership Institute's (PHLI) goals are to develop the capacity of individual leaders and networks of leaders so that both can lead improvements in public health systems, infrastructure, and population health.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate PHLI's impact on networks, systems, and infrastructure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Senior leaders from government, health care, associations, and other organizations who graduated from PHLI between 1992 and 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retreats; readings, conference calls, and webinars; personal assessments, feedback, and coaching; and action learning projects.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey sent in 2007 to all leaders from the program's first 15 cohorts. Between 1992 and 2006, PHLI graduated 806 leaders. Of the 646 graduates located, 393 (61%) responded, for an overall response rate of 49% (393/806). Telephone interviews of 35 key informants were also conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Graduates fostered changes in systems, policies, organizations, and programs and frequently described these changes as resulting from their work as or with networks. Many graduates formed an informal national network of "thought leaders" and volunteered with professional associations to help in creating methods for improving systems and infrastructure. At the state level, graduates worked as informal networks and with associations to restructure services, reorganize agencies, catalyze new laws, and develop programs. Locally, graduates developed coalitions, fostered new laws, and improved programs, among other changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's multiyear sponsorship of a national program fostered national networks among "thought leaders" who helped to lead the development and diffusion of numerous innovations. Public health leadership development program sponsors should foster collaborative leadership by engaging leaders in systems thinking, team leadership, dialogue, conflict resolution, and negotiation, recommend using networks for sustained personal and system development, and link leaders to networks and associations. Networks provide the collective creativity and broad support needed to enact system and infrastructure changes.
authors.affiliation: North Carolina Institute for Public Health, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. umble@email.unc.edu
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Umble
authors.forename: Edward L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Sandra J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Diehl
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haws
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Steffen
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frederick
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Woltring
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019058:Community Networks; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D011634:Public Health; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D012581:Schools, Public Health; D014481:United States