By Nikki M. Weiss, PhD, Center for Public Health Systems, University of Minnesota School of Public Health
Each year, the RVPHTC leads the Region V Public Health Leadership Institute (RVPHLI), an online program designed for primary care and public health professionals interested in building adaptive leadership skills that create and sustain change. The RVPHLI began in 2023 and has run in every subsequent year since. Though the specific learning objectives have changed slightly from year to year, there are three main themes of these objectives in every iteration of the program:
- Practice adaptive leadership skills to guide organizational, community, and systems change;
- Identify approaches for creating a culture of learning within their agencies; and
- Apply strategies to foster a supportive workplace culture for a diverse workforce in their agencies.
This blog post describes the results of the outcome evaluation that was performed to assess whether the RVPHLI met these goals.
The first three cohorts of the RVPHLI were evaluated through qualitative analysis of key informant interviews. Nine RVPHIL alumni participated in semi-structured interviews (four from Cohort 3 [2025], four from Cohort 2 [2024], and one from Cohort 1 [2023]). All interviews took place online and were recorded. Interview transcripts were then analyzed for emergent themes through content analysis, which involved creating a list of codes and their definitions (i.e., codebook) and assigning codes to specific portions of the transcripts.
Alumni feedback on the RVPHLI was overwhelmingly positive, with impacts ranging from developing skillsets to encouraging two participants to continue their education in leadership-adjacent fields (one enrolled in a master’s program; another enrolled in a PhD program). We also asked about the three learning objectives listed above, specifically regarding if the participants’ abilities to perform those skills had changed since the end of their time in the RVPHLI. Eight participants said their adaptive leadership skills have continued to improve, seven participants said their ability to foster a supportive workplace culture has continued to improve, and six said their ability to create a culture of learning at their agency has continued to improve.
Participant: This Institute showed me what leadership really is. I had the preconceived notion that leadership was a boss, someone who’s in charge. So, the Leadership Institute gave me a different perspective on how I hone in on my own skills, and how I changed my personal philosophy to exemplify leadership.
Interviewer: Yeah, and it sounds like, and correct me if I’m wrong, but you kind of became more comfortable with applying the label “leader” to yourself because of that?
Participant: Yes, yes, that’s what it was.
Though primarily an outcome evaluation, we also asked about strengths and areas for improvement for the program (i.e., process evaluation). Strengths included the subject matter experts, with multiple participants highlighting Dany Zemmel for her skill as a facilitator. Organization was another strength, as was the opportunity to build a network, and multiple alumni mentioned appreciating the time spent at the beginning of sessions on a short meditation/centering exercise. However, some participants expressed that they either struggled to remember specifics about the program or that they would have preferred being interviewed soon after the conclusion of the program, suggesting a potential area for improvement.
Overall, results of the evaluation indicate that the learning objectives were met for these alumni specifically. Relatively few barriers to participating (either due to alumni’s home agencies or due to the RVPHLI itself) were noted. No negative impacts were discussed, though participants were invited to speak about them if applicable. Furthermore, alumni feedback—such as suggestions for offering continuing education credits or incorporating a practical project—will be discussed by the RVPHLI staff and considered for incorporation into future cohorts/iterations of the RVPHLI.
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