ASPHN Leadership Provides Many Levels of Growth for Members
Developing skilled leaders in public health nutrition is a critical component of all of ASPHN’s work. The Association seeks to build our members’ skills so they can be strong leaders in ASPHN, their organization, state, and across the nation.
ASPHN’s Mission
To strengthen nutrition policy, programs and environments for all people through development on public health nutrition leaders and collective action of members nationwide.
How?
A component of every ASPHN project, Council, webinar, or conference is focused on leadership development. The work ASPHN does to cultivate public health leaders creates opportunities for members to expand and deepen their skills to positively impact public health at the local, state, and national level.
EXAMPLES
Goal: Maximize membership engagement by promoting the value of ASPHN for members
Member Opportunity: See It. Say It. Share It., ASPHN Newsletter, ASPHN Annual Meeting, ASPHN Policy Committee, ASPHN Membership, Communication and Outreach Committee, ASPHN Nutrition Briefs, MCH Nutrition Council, National Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Council, Healthy Food, Active Communities Council
Goal: Expand and deepen collaborations that maximize opportunities to address ASPHN priorities
Member Opportunity: ASPHN Collaboration Committee, ASPHN Liaisons to Partners, Partnership Training Program
Goal: Create, influence and advocate for evidence-informed and best practice public health nutrition policies and practice
Member Opportunity: ASPHN Policy Committee, ASPHN MCH Nutrition Council, National Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Council, ASPHN Healthy Food, Active Communities Council, ASPHN Obesity Mini CoIIN, ASPHN Success Stories
Goal: Strengthen competencies of public health nutritionists through quality resources and professional development
Member Opportunity: Health Equity Internship Program, MCHB Leadership Development programs; ASPHN Annual Meeting, ASPHN Growing Leaders, Partnership Training Program, Development Digest, ASPHN webinars, and ASPHN publications
Goal: Maintain sufficient organizational and financial resources to sustain continued association operations
Member Opportunity: ASPHN Board of Directors, ASPHN Membership Directory, ASPHN Councils, ASPHN Committees
Did you know…we are Leadership Ninjas? All of the Association’s Committees, Councils, Advisory Groups, events and trainings are designed and conducted to enhance leadership growth. ASPHN endeavors to have leadership training concepts built into every aspect of our organization, whether that is in obvious…or not-so-obvious ways.
If you don’t believe us, try us! Here are some possibilities…
Starting your leadership journey
Some ideas to guide your path.
- Apply for ASPHN’s Growing Leaders class.
- Choose a Committee or Council to be actively involved with, and contribute to projects, events, etc. that are championed by the group.
- Attend the next ASPHN Annual Meeting.
- Dive into some of ASPHN’s resources and other training opportunities.
- Reach out to Allison McGuigan to find out small ways to become involved that would enrich your professional practice.
Continuing your leadership journey
If you are already a member, here are some ways for you to take your leadership abilities to the next level.
- Contact a member of the Governance Committee to find out options to become a Board Member.
- See what’s going on around ASPHN this month.
- Serve on the leadership team of a Committee or Council.
- Participate in the Partnership Training Program.
- Become a member of the Annual Meeting Planning Committee (contact Cyndi Atterbury at cyndi@asphn.org).
MORE RESOURCES
Training Programs
The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) funds two Leadership Development Programs for public health nutritionists. The programs include both in-person and distance learning activities. The programs are:
- Western MCH Nutrition Leadership Network addresses the needs of state-level public health and pediatric nutritionists in eleven western states, Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, California, Colorado and New Mexico. For information contact Dena Herman.
- The Emerging Leaders in MCH Nutrition Training Institute serves the states not in the Western MCH Nutrition Leadership Network. The target audience is RDs and nutritionists with 3-10 years of experience. For information contact Heidi Schwartz Church.
- MCH Navigator – A Training Portal for MCH Professionals is a learning resource for maternal and child health professionals, students, and others working to improve the health and wellbeing of women, children, and families. The training opportunities include archived webcasts and webinars, instructional modules and self-guided short courses, and video and audio recordings of lectures and presentations from university courses and conferences.
Leadership Organizations
- TRAIN is a service of the Public Health Foundation. It is a learning resource for professionals working to protect the public’s health. This resource is a web-based learning management tool that provides a clearinghouse for on-site training and distance learning opportunities available in local, state, and national jurisdictions. TRAIN houses information on over 25,000 public health courses offered by more than 4,000 providers.
- The Center for Health Leadership & Practice, a program of the Public Health Institute, is a non-profit leadership training, consultation, and resource center serving domestic and international health leaders and organizations. The Center for Health Leadership & Practice offers a list of suggested leadership development readings and websites.
- Public Health Training Centers (PHTC) Network is a clearinghouse for hundreds of trainings, covering topics such as leadership and management, epidemiology, and basic public health skills. The site also offers resources and publications with tools and information relevant to public health practitioners.
- In addition, ASPHN has a wealth of information in its resource, Succession Management for ASPHN Members.
Online Resources
Johns Hopkins Maternal and Child Health Leadership Skills Development Series is a series of online modules that cover a variety of leadership topics in a Maternal and Child Health context. The modules are designed to be completed in small groups with the use of video, personal reflection, case studies and group discussions to facilitate learning. They are comprehensive yet flexible. They can be completed in any order, timeframe or setting that participants choose.
The National WIC Association offers its members the NWA Leadership Academy. This customized leadership program is designed to assist WIC organizations in developing leadership skills and attributes for selected new leaders and to update the skills of current leaders. The program seeks to help participants to think and act strategically, develop critical thinking skills, and manage results-oriented teams. The NWA Leadership Academy Certificate Program is comprised of four courses, which are each 10 weeks in length.