The Top 30 Rising Stars Program: an inter-organizational approach to leadership succession planning.

An effective leadership development program is an organizational investment that advances individual performance while strengthening organizational capabilities. The Top 30 Rising Stars Program is a leadership succession program designed to enable leadership capacity building within and across organizations. Key components of the program include formal learning, stretch opportunities, and mentorship. Evaluation results reveal high participant satisfaction and an increase in reported self-confidence in their ability to assume a formal leadership position.

Is public health ready for a professional practice framework?

OBJECTIVE: To develop a framework for professional practice for a large urban public health unit in Canada. METHODS: The project involved a literature search, key informant interviews, an environmental scan and focus groups. RESULTS: Analysis and synthesis led to recommendations for the development of discipline-specific Professional Practice Leaders (PPL) and an Interprofessional Practice Leaders Network. The latter meets to discuss cross-cutting practice issues and is chaired by the chief executive officer of the health unit, the Medical Officer of Health. The one-year evaluation has demonstrated that this initiative has worked well in practice. It is a flexible framework which provides new leadership opportunities and gives staff valuable input into decision-making on practice issues. It is also a more efficient use of staff resources, including a comprehensive approach to solving problems and in breaking down silos between programs. Communication and collaboration between disciplines has increased. CONCLUSION: The initiative was evaluated successfully after the pilot year. In going forward areas to review include the time allotment for the PPL, communication between the PPL, the respective Program Director and the entire department, and expanding professional development opportunities for the PPL.

Risk perception and compliance with quarantine during the SARS outbreak.

PURPOSE: To explore the experience of being on quarantine for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) with a focus on the relationship between perceived risk of contracting SARS and reported compliance with the quarantine order and protocols. DESIGN: Descriptive, qualitative. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with people who had been quarantined during the SARS outbreak in Toronto in 2003. Data analysis was completed using an iterative and collaborative approach of reading and re-reading the transcribed interviews, identifying common themes, and comparing and contrasting the data. FINDINGS: To varying extents, participants wavered between fear and denial about their risk of contracting or spreading SARS. Reported compliance with the actual quarantine order was high. However, within households quarantine protocols were followed unevenly. CONCLUSIONS: This research indicates the need for greater credibility in public health communications to increase compliance with quarantine protocols and to contain outbreaks of new and deadly infectious diseases.

The experience of quarantine for individuals affected by SARS in Toronto.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of home quarantine during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Toronto in 2003. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive design. SAMPLE: Stratified random sampling techniques were used to generate a list of potential participants, who varied in terms of gender and closeness of exposure to someone with suspected SARS (contact level). Twenty-one individuals participated in the study. MEASUREMENTS: All interviews were audiotaped and followed a semistructured interview guide. Participants were invited to describe their experience of quarantine in detail including their advice for Public Health. RESULTS: The experience followed a trajectory of stages beginning before quarantine and ending after quarantine. Despite individual differences, common themes of uncertainty, isolation, and coping intersected the data. CONCLUSIONS: Public Health has a dual role of monitoring compliance and providing support to people in quarantine. This study has implications for public health policy and practice in planning for future public health emergencies in terms of the information and the resources required to mount an effective response.