title: Mind the public health leadership gap: the opportunities and challenges of engaging high-profile individuals in the public health agenda.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Public health leadership has been criticized as being ineffective. The public health profession is relatively small. Critics have argued that there is over-emphasis on technical aspects and insufficient use of the 'community as a source of public health actions'.
  
  
  METHODS
  The paper analyses the resources, motivations and skills utilized by high-profile individuals who have made contributions to the public health agenda. The phenomenon of celebrity diplomacy is critiqued. Two exemplars are discussed: Jamie Oliver and Michael Bloomberg. The risks of involving celebrities are also considered.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Leaders for public health demonstrate 'a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will' to make the 'right decisions happen'. While they may have ego or self-interest, in this context, at least, they channel their ambition for the public health cause, not themselves.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Leaders from outside public health may have no understanding of what public health is nor consider their work as part of a wider public health agenda. It is important to understand why they become leaders for public health. This will inform a strategy for how others may be encouraged to collaborate for public health causes. Some key points for working with high-profile leaders for public health are identified.
authors: Academic Unit of Public Health, University of Leeds, Charles Thackrah Building, 101 Clarendon Road, Leeds, UK.
authors: Darren
authors: D
authors: Shickle
authors: Academic Unit of Public Health, University of Leeds, Charles Thackrah Building, 101 Clarendon Road, Leeds, UK.
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Day
authors: Academic Unit of Public Health, University of Leeds, Charles Thackrah Building, 101 Clarendon Road, Leeds, UK.
authors: Kevin
authors: K
authors: Smith
authors: Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, 3-263 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors: Ken
authors: K
authors: Zakariasen
authors: Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin, 4256 Health Sciences Learning Center, 750 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705-2221, USA.
authors: Jacob
authors: J
authors: Moskol
authors: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, 610 Walnut Street, 760-C WARF, Madison, WI 53726, USA.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Oliver
mesh_terms: D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003254:Consumer Advocacy; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005197:Famous Persons; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D011635:Public Health Administration; D015980:Public Health Practice
keywords: education; employment and skills; management and policy; public health