Open AccessThe University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health Doctor of Public Health Program: An Innovative Approach to Doctoral-Level Practice Leadership Development
Author(s) -
Patrick Lenihan,
Christina R. Welter,
Paul W. BrandtRauf,
Babette Neuberger,
Eve Pinsker,
Michael Petros,
Kristine Risley
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2014.302331
Subject(s) - public health , portfolio , medical education , leadership development , psychology , pedagogy , medicine , public relations , nursing , political science , financial economics , economics
The University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health, Doctor of Public Health degree is designed to build leadership skills and an ability to contribute to the evidence base of practice. The competency-based, distance-format, doctoral-level program for midcareer professionals features an action learning approach in which students apply leadership principles from the virtual classroom to real-world problems at their work sites. Students demonstrate mastery of the competencies and readiness to advance to the dissertation stage through completing a portfolio by using a process of systematic reflection. The practice-oriented dissertation demonstrates the ability to contribute to the evidence base of public health practice in an area of emphasis. Preliminary evaluation data indicate that the program is meeting its intended purposes.