Measuring for Success: Evaluating Leadership Training Programs for Sustainable Impact

Area of Science:

• Public Health Leadership
• Program Evaluation
• Global Health Security

Background:

• Increased need for strong leadership in global health security, highlighted by challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Significant investments in global health leadership development programs by governments and philanthropic organizations.
• Challenges in evaluating the societal impact of these leadership programs despite their recognized importance.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify gaps in current monitoring and evaluation (M&E) approaches for global health leadership programs.
• Highlight the critical role of M&E in assessing program impact.
• Propose the theory of change (TOC) as a common framework and suggest adaptable tools and indicators for leadership programs.

Main Methods:

• Informal review of major global health leadership programs and a literature review on evaluation approaches.
• Exploration and synthesis of current practices in assessing short- to long-term outcomes of leadership training.
• Examination of program theory frameworks, specifically TOC, to guide evaluation strategies.

Main Results:

• Most evaluations focus on short-term, individual-level outcomes, with limited data on long-term societal impact.
• Reciprocal impacts on and benefits for host organizations are often excluded from evaluation metrics.
• Programs frequently lack well-articulated program theories, despite having program logic or result chains.

Conclusions:

• Rigorous program evaluations provide essential evidence for stakeholders to improve global health leadership and population health outcomes.
• Evaluation must extend beyond individual trainees to encompass organizational and community-level impacts, including reciprocal changes in host organizations.
• Documenting long-lasting organizational and societal impacts is vital for demonstrating donor return on investment.