Mastering Public Health: Essential Skills for Effective Practice

Whether you are a recent public health graduate and have just started out in your first professional position or a seasoned pro who has launched into a new chapter in your career, a new book being published in 2011 by Oxford University Press likely will be a useful resource for you.  Tentatively titled “Mastering Public Health:  Essential Skills for Effective Practice,” this book will contain helpful information and advice as well as resource information in an easy-to-use format. 

The co-editors, Barry Levy, MD, MPH, a past president of APHA, and Joyce Gaufin, former chair of the Intersectional Council and former HAS chair, have designed the book to focus on three specific cross-cutting areas of practice:  Communication, Administration and Management, and Leadership.
 
The idea for the book came about when Levy and Gaufin were reflecting on the experience of scholars who attend the leadership institutes that she directs.   Topics that are covered in a leadership institute tend to be cross-cutting, and generally go beyond the curriculum of an MPH program.  The topics in this book are often acquired through on-the-job experience, with the help of a coach or mentor or through continuing education program, yet they are essential for effective job performance.  Additionally, these skills are essential for personal and professional advancement.  This book has been designed to give public health practitioners a comprehensive resource with specific tools and resources to complement their formal education.  While not specifically intended to be used in an academic setting, several graduate program directors have already expressed an interest in using this book as part of practicum courses or in continuing education programs.

--Joyce Gaufin