Leadership Development In Higher Education For Public Health

The dearth of public health leadership and lack of leadership development in higher education for public health, reported by the Institute of Medicine Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health, prompted this study of leadership perspectives in schools of public health and the practices and behaviors of contemporary public health leaders and their followers. Ambiguity between management and leadership was evident. Academic responders identified transactional leadership roles and relationships more often than those of transformational leadership. Leader and follower ratings of leader performance were most often 'moderate' indicating that leaders sometimes or fairly often exhibit exemplary leadership practices and behaviors. Variances between academic and practice findings suggest that, although many graduates do become leaders in public health, this may not be an outcome of the educational experience. Content and comparative analyses identify twelve concepts of transformational leadership which form a framework for course content in leadership development for public health.