THE LEADERSHIP LENS OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

THE LEADERSHIP LENS OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

BY MICHAEL FRASER

Chief Executive Officer of ASTHO

More than ever, there is a conversation mounting across the country about the future of public health. As we continue to work beneath the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public health workforce is taking a hard look at the future to ensure that the inequities borne out over the course of the pandemic are eliminated. Having recently received the largest federal investment in public health in our nation’s history, we are now engaged in talks about the need for data modernization, a bolstered public health workforce, and an overhauled public health infrastructure.

But amid these conversations, we must also pause to consider another question: Who will be the next generation of leaders to guide us through these challenges? Who will be the thought leaders that help public health take its next big step? For me, answering these question remains one of our most important duties as public health professionals.

That is why I was so excited by the launch of the Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health (DELPH) program, which seeks to provide a real-world answer to these questions. This cohort of 16 scholars has given me a glimpse of what the future of public health promises to accomplish. And amid so many uncertainties about this future, I cannot help but be encouraged by this brilliant and diverse cohort of leaders.

LEADERSHIP REIMAGINED

As leaders, it is easy to preach that equity, diversity, and inclusion must be at the forefront of the public health mission. But what does this mean? What do these values look like in the day-to-day trenches of leadership?

These core public health tenets are not boxes that we can check off on our way to building a healthier world. Rather, they make up the very DNA of the public health mission. In every decision we make, we are obligated to ask ourselves: Who am I excluding in this moment? What myths and false narratives am I upholding? How can I enact change that impacts everyone in my community?

These are questions that we must ask iteratively, again and again, and their answers are not easy to come by. They require reconciling ourselves with difficult and often heartbreaking truths about the injustices that public health systems continue to uphold, and that we ourselves have internalized. They mean humbling ourselves, and acknowledging the limitations of our own experiences.

But I also know this to be true: It is easier—and indeed only possible—to grapple with these questions when we invite others to help us answer them. For me, this is why diversity is a non-negotiable quality in our leaders. As individuals, we are not well-equipped to diagnose our own blind spots, nor to fill those gaps ourselves.

However, when we invite a diverse chorus of experiences, cultures, and ideas into the conversation, we are better prepared to intervene with our biases. And, therefore, better prepared to answer the calling of public health.

MODELING SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP

The DELPH program is exciting to me precisely because it strives to fill this longstanding gap in public health leadership. By investing in a diverse cohort of leaders who will take up the mantle for public health agencies, we can be sure that these scholars will go on to invest meaningfully back into their communities as changemakers and thought leaders. To name equity and inclusion the lifeblood of public health is one thing. To live out this goal intentionally by directly investing in the people in our communities is another.

If we are going to make meaningful progress on the way to achieving a truly equitable public health system, our leaders cannot only be advocates for this equity—they must understand and embody it. And I believe the DELPH program has been crucial in equipping these scholars for that role.

Michael Fraser, CEO of ASTHO, speaking to an audience of State Health Officials in Washington, DC.

Contributed Photo

Of course, there is no “acceptable timeline” for achieving a more diverse and representative public health workforce. Such a change is infinitely overdue. However, DELPH has put us on the fast track toward achieving a more inclusive world. My hope is that DELPH serves as a model for public health partners and agencies, and demonstrates that this is not an investment we can afford to miss out on.

TRANSFORM – AND BE TRANSFORMED

When I envision what a more diverse public health leadership looks like, I see leaders who are not only more inclusive, but more daring. More innovative. More willing to ask questions that others have not pondered, and to offer solutions that others have not considered. These leaders will become agents of tremendous change in their communities. They will scrutinize the systems around them and turn public health into a force for unambiguous, indiscriminate good in the world. Public health cannot afford to defer to the status quo, and I look to seeing how these leaders go on to transform their fields.

But I also encourage our scholars to allow themselves to be transformed over the course of their leadership journey. Because this, I believe, is one of diversity’s greatest strengths. Surrounded by peers from so many backgrounds and experiences, these scholars are at an unprecedented confluence of new ideas and solutions. As these scholars interrogate the world around them, I implore them to ask these same questions of themselves, and of each other. In doing so, these leaders will only continue to grow in their compassion and empathy.

I cannot wait to see how these scholars approach their calling as public health leaders. It is a rare and special thing to see the future playing out before me in such a tangible way—especially a future as bright as this one.