Strengthening Illinois’ Public Health Leaders
The Leadership Institute equips practitioners with the skills to create lasting change in their organizations and communities
Leadership Institute
The Policy, Practice and Prevention Research Center (P3RC) at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) School of Public Health is proud to welcome the Illinois Public Health Leadership Institute for Systems Change 2025 cohort! Sponsored by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) through funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the inaugural cohort builds on a rich history of collaboration between the UIC School of Public Health and IDPH. The UIC School of Public Health houses one of the oldest DrPH programs in the world and has extensive experience providing hands-on leadership development for practitioners, including 23 years leading the MidAmerica Regional Public Health Institute (MARPHLI), and co-development of the Public Health Learning Agenda for Systems Change.
Offering a unique opportunity for mid-to-senior level public health professionals in Illinois, Leadership Institute Fellows learn from and share with peers while expanding their abilities to advance organizational, community, and systems change to improve population health outcomes.
“We are pleased to partner with the UIC School of Public Health and the P3RC on this groundbreaking effort to develop the next generation of public health leaders,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “We know that meeting the public health challenges ahead will require our best and brightest minds working together in a spirit of collaboration and innovation. The Leadership Institute will build the relationships and the creative environment that will help us find workable solutions to our most pressing needs.”
Leadership Institute
The 2025 includes 41 fellows representing:
- All 6 IDPH Health regions
- 23 Illinois counties
- 21 local health departments and the IDPH
Over six months, Fellows will engage in an intentional journey through in-person and virtual sessions designed to enhance their personal and change leadership skills. Throughout the Leadership Institute, Fellows will apply these skills to create systems-change approaches to address real-world public health challenges, develop actionable solutions, and create collaborative action plans for sustainable impact. The program also includes coaching pods facilitated by professional coaches to build peer connections and support problem-solving throughout and beyond the Leadership Institute.
“In these difficult times, we need strategic and collaborative leaders who are willing to step into uncertainty, co-create visions with communities, and catalyze action,” said Christina Welter, DrPH, MPH, Associate Director of the P3RC and Director of UIC’s DrPH in Leadership Program. “The Leadership Institute is more than a training—it’s a call to action. We hope it helps Fellows find small but powerful windows of leverage to create ripple effects for long-standing systems change across Illinois.”
To learn more about the Leadership Institute, visit the P3RC website.