Enhancing Leadership and Management Skills in Public Health: Insights from the Public Health Management and Leadership Training Program in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Background: In many Indian states, public health programs are led by clinicians without formal training in leadership and management, limiting their effectiveness. To tackle this, Uttar Pradesh's Department of Medical, Health, and Family Welfare initiated a Public Health Management and Leadership (PHML) training program for the Level 4 (mid-career) medical officers. This program aims to enhance the leadership and management skills necessary for these officers to support them transitioning to administrative roles.

Methods: The training focused on essential competencies such as leadership, communication, team building, fiscal management, and public health problem-solving. It included in-person sessions and mentored practicum, utilizing experiential learning and problem-solving group projects. Kirkpatrick's model was used to evaluate participants' reactions, learning outcomes, and behavior change. Feedback was analyzed using descriptive statistics across 12 training domains, while pre- and post-training test scores were compared using paired t-tests in Stata 18 to measure learning improvements. Participant interviews provided additional insights.

Results: Participants reported high satisfaction with the learning environment and methods but faced challenges in applying management concepts, citing limited contextual input and faculty interaction. Learning outcomes showed moderate improvement, with average test scores rising from 53.3 to 59.6 (p = 0.003). They successfully applied a structured problem-solving framework in practicum projects and created action plans for public health challenges. Participants recommended adding topics on financing, procurement, human resources, and hospital management to support them in performing their core functions. Barriers to applying learned concepts included human resource constraints, limited autonomy, gender stereotypes, and lack of recognition.

Conclusion: Emphasizing leadership competencies, experiential learning, and mentored practicum holds promise. However, customizing the curriculum to UP's specific context, ensuring sufficient training time, focusing on core management functions, and addressing organizational barriers are vital. Integrating these recommendations into blended training that enhances core managerial skills and leadership development can strengthen workforce capabilities.