Beyond content: leadership development through a journal club

Area of Science:

• Public Health Leadership
• Health Systems Science
• Medical Education

Background:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed the Health Systems Integration Program to train leaders at the intersection of public health and healthcare.
• Competencies in communication, analysis, assessment, and health systems were established to foster evidence-based decision-making and leadership skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an innovative journal club format within the Health Systems Integration Program.
• To evaluate the journal club's effectiveness in achieving standard learning goals and fostering leadership development.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a competency-based journal club curriculum.
• Focus on critical reading, knowledge acquisition, and leadership skill enhancement.

Main Results:

• The journal club successfully met traditional learning objectives.
• The innovative approach fostered leadership development among public health leaders.

Conclusions:

• The Health Systems Integration Program's journal club model offers an effective approach to leadership development in public health.
• This model can be adapted by other programs seeking to enhance leadership training through journal clubs.