APHL 2018 Annual Meeting Poster Abstracts
Workforce Development
Evaluating Progress Achieved Through a Two-Year Quality
Assurance Laboratory Mentor Program
(see complete abstract in Quality Systems, p. 85)
Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) Theory of Change
(2017–2018)
K. Shah, P. Ray, S. Woldehanna, K. Albrecht, A. Wright and L. Siegel,
Association of Public Health Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD
Objective: Present the current Emerging Leader Program (ELP)
Theory of Change (TOC) model that shows how the program
envisions change in the public health system through leadership
development and to highlight how the model is used for program
improvement.
Design: A Theory of Change (TOC) is a model that explains how
long-term change (outcome) is brought about in a program. The ELP
TOC was created as part of the development of an evaluation plan
to assess the ELP. Critical stakeholders including APHL staff and
ELP alums were consulted to create the initial TOC. In addition, Most
Significant Stories of Change (MSC) was used to collect stories from
current ELP participants to further understand the change process;
analysis of stories by project staff was used to further refine the
Theory of Change.
Result: The ELP TOC envisions a PHL system with a community
of leaders capable of meeting and addressing other system
challenges. Starting with the potential of interested laboratorians,
the program envisions changes at the individual, organizational
and systems levels in a number of areas. At the individual levels,
a number of interrelated and reinforcing changes are expected
including:
• Increased self-awareness and empathy for others
• Increased skills in communication, managerial abilities, team
development, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making
and team work
• More confidence
• Increased investment engagement and commitment to public
health
• Demonstrated leadership behavior.
The program also supports the development of a network of PHL
leaders that can facilitate problem solving between individuals
as well as between organizations. This community of PHL leaders
will also be equipped to advocate on behalf of the PHL system to
ensure that PHLs have a place at the decision making table which
will assure a systems approach to problem solving within the public
health system. In addition to showcasing the relationships of the
outcomes that the ELP program is trying to influence, the TOC is also
used to guide evaluations by answering questions such as:
• How does leadership development happen?
• Is the program effective in its objectives?
Conclusion: The ELP TOC model is a living document that will
continue to change as the ELP engages in ongoing discussions with
key stakeholders. ELP program will also utilize the TOC to guide its
evaluation efforts and findings will be used to review the validity and
comprehensiveness of the model and its underlying assumptions.
88
LAB MATTERS Summer 2018
Presenter: Kajari Shah, Association of Public Health
Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD, Phone: 240.485.2725,
Email: [email protected]
Lab-Aid: A New Endeavor for CDC to Provide Field
Laboratory Assistance to Public Health Laboratories
X. Liu, S. Theodore, M.K. Glynn, D. Eaton and E. Pevzner, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Background: CDC’s Laboratory Leadership Service (LLS) fellowship
program prepares early-career laboratory scientists to become
future public health laboratory leaders. Fellows acquire and apply
skills in laboratory quality management, biosafety science and
leadership through on-the-job service at CDC and other public
health laboratories. Lab-Aid provides a new mechanism for a
public health authority to request short-term laboratory assistance
from CDC. Lab-Aids focus on addressing partners’ laboratory
needs and can include urgent public health responses and other
laboratory capacity building requests. Processes: A Lab-Aid must
be requested by the authority of a public health laboratory, which
describes the public health problem to CDC. A team consisting of
CDC subject matter experts (SMEs), at least one LLS fellow and
a field supervisor will be identified and form the Lab-Aid team to
work with the requesting agency. Before a Lab-Aid is approved,
objectives need to be clearly defined and roles and responsibilities
of the Lab-Aid team specified among stakeholders. An LLS fellow
is deployed to the field under the supervision of at least one SME
and works with the team to provide technical support and training
and make recommendations based on Lab-Aid objectives. After
Lab-Aid completion, the laboratory can request CDC’s continued
collaboration and assistance. Lab-Aid
Experiences: Lab-Aids have been implemented in both emergency
response and under capacity building requests. LLS fellows were
deployed to assist the Puerto Rico Department of Health with
specimens transport and evaluate and restore essential laboratory
services after Hurricane Maria. An LLS fellow was requested to help
a state laboratory develop a comprehensive laboratory response
plan for Legionella outbreaks based on a safety risk assessment
and evaluation of the state’s existing water management plans,
after which targeted trainings will be delivered to address gaps and
a readiness exercise based on the response plan will be conducted.
Experience and lessons learned from Lab-Aids will be shared.
Discussion: Input from APHL and state and local laboratory partners
will be helpful to ensure the quality of services provided by LLS
fellows, improve efficiency of requesting Lab-Aids and facilitate
successful implementation of Lab-Aids as a new endeavor for CDC
to provide field laboratory assistance. In addition, the benefits and
challenges associated with LLS fellows participating in Lab-Aids to
achieve the field training essential for future public health laboratory
leaders and strengthen relationships among CDC SMEs and state
and local partners will be explored.
Presenter: Xin Liu, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Atlanta, GA, Phone: 404.498.6013, Email: [email protected]
At Your Fingertips: Laboratory Workforce Development and
Training Resources of CDC’s Division of Laboratory Systems
R. Ned-Sykes, D. Daniely and Y. Wilkins, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL
APHL.org