News Story

Student Leadership Workshop provides hands-on leadership experience

Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 51 seconds

Posted 02/08/2012

Students participate in an exercise that demonstrates how effective leaders 'Challenge the Process'.

A recent workshop for public health students helped them explore their own leadership behaviors as a preparation for their future careers.

Matt Inama, a first-year Master of Health Administration (MHA) student, realized that everyone can develop leadership skills. “This gave me a chance to reflect on how I view myself as a leader and also how others view me as a leader. It was interesting to note the difference between my view and my peers'. It helped me look at leadership not as some lofty, unattainable attribute, but as a skill that anyone can develop,” said Inama.

The college’s Center for Public Health Practice (CPHP) and Office of Academic Programs and Student Services offered the Student Leadership Workshop on Jan. 20.

Eleven students representing the Master of Public Health, MHA, and doctoral programs participated in the workshop.

Maria Jorina, a fourth-year PhD student in the Division of Health Services Management and Policy, shared her feelings about participating in the workshop.

“I think it helped me to get started on self-development as a future health care leader. I learned a lot about the main components of leadership, how it is developed, and about my own strengths and opportunities,” said Jorina.

The content of the workshop was based on Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership by Jim Kouzes and Berry Posner’s.

As part of the interactive, all-day workshop, each student had the opportunity to complete a 360-degree leadership assessment tool (Student Leadership Practices Inventory) that provided insight into their personal leadership strengths and potential areas for improvement. Students had an opportunity to learn and practice effective leadership behaviors and also developed a personal action plan as part of the workshop.

The workshop was facilitated by CPHP staff members Melissa Sever and Adam Negley.

“The Center provides a variety of leadership development opportunities for public health practitioners working in the field,” said Sever, MPH, MCHES, senior program manager, CPHP. “It was a natural extension to offer the same type of opportunity to our students – public health's future leaders. The students were very engaged throughout the workshop which made for a great experience. We hope to continue to offer similar workshops in the future.”