title: Training public health superheroes: five talents for public health leadership.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Public health leaders have been criticized for their policy stances, relationships with governments and failure to train the next generation. New approaches to the identification and training of public health leaders may be required. To inform these, lessons can be drawn from public health 'superheroes'; public health leaders perceived to be the most admired and effective by their peers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Members and Fellows of the UK Faculty of Public Health were contacted via e-newsletter and magazine and asked to nominate their 'Public Health Superhero'. Twenty-six responses were received, nominating 40 different people. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis, based on 'grounded theory', was conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five leadership 'talents' for public health were identified: mentoring-nurturing, shaping-organizing, networking-connecting, knowing-interpreting and advocating-impacting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Talent-based approaches have been effective for leadership development in other sectors. These talents are the first specific to the practice of public health and align with some aspects of existing frameworks. An increased focus on identifying and developing talents during public health training, as opposed to 'competency'-based approaches, may be effective in strengthening public health leadership. Further research to understand the combination and intensity of talents across a larger sample of public health leaders is required.
authors: Academic Unit of Public Health, University of Leeds, Charles Thackrah Building, 101 Clarendon Road, Leeds, UK Public Health England Centre for Yorkshire and the Humber, 6th Floor South East, Quarry House, Quarry Hill Leeds LS2 7UE, UK.
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Day
authors: Academic Unit of Public Health, University of Leeds, Charles Thackrah Building, 101 Clarendon Road, Leeds, UK Public Health England Centre for Yorkshire and the Humber, 6th Floor South East, Quarry House, Quarry Hill Leeds LS2 7UE, UK.
authors: Darren
authors: D
authors: Shickle
authors: Academic Unit of Public Health, University of Leeds, Charles Thackrah Building, 101 Clarendon Road, Leeds, UK Public Health England Centre for Yorkshire and the Humber, 6th Floor South East, Quarry House, Quarry Hill Leeds LS2 7UE, UK.
authors: Kevin
authors: K
authors: Smith
authors: Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, 3-263 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 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: D001076:Aptitude; D040381:Education, Public Health Professional / Q000379:methods; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008611:Mentors; D011634:Public Health / Q000193:education; D012581:Schools, Public Health; D060756:Social Networking; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods; D006113:United Kingdom