Time Commitment: One 30-minute session monthly Journal Club is a monthly opportunity to participate in discussion with peers and NACDD staff and consultants about a reading or podcast about leadership, management, public health practice, emerging public health trends, or new research findings. Journal Club meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 3pm ET. To be added to the monthly calendar invite, please email CPHL@chronicdisease.org

Before developing a budget for a chronic disease program, understanding the funder and their funding process can be useful. This course provides context for the federal budget process that drives many chronic disease programs; distinguishes federally-funded budgets from common state and private philanthropic budget requirements; and lists resources for learning more about federal and state budgeting processes.

This course defines change management and provides an overview of several change management frameworks and related models. It also includes an example of how to apply one of the leading change management frameworks to a change initiative in a state health department.

Design thinking is defined as “a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.” This course provides detail to support the application of design thinking to addressing population health issues.

Chronic disease prevention and control can be a very satisfying and fulfilling field of work and, at the same time, stressful. In this brief course, the relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction is explored. Emotional intelligence can also reduce stress through a greater understanding of, and response to, others and one’s own experiences.

Embedding equity within formal and informal leadership structures is a foundation for organizational capacity and readiness to take action on health inequities. Discover ways to incorporate an equity lens in the daily work of a chronic disease unit.

Facilitation is a key skill that nearly all of us call on every single day, whether it is facilitating a large group of stakeholders or navigating a small meeting with peers. Good facilitation can help to create a shared vision for a program or policy; poor facilitation can quickly take a project or a meeting down the wrong path. In this brief course, a top 10 list of facilitation tips and tricks is described that leaners can put into practice immediately.

To have “influence without authority” refers to the idea that an individual has the ability to lead and influence even if they are not in an official leadership role and/or do not have a title typically associated with authority. Having influence without authority draws on various other skills, including the ability to build positive relationships, communicate well, listen effectively, and shape a purpose and vision. These individual skills and the ability to influence without authority are important in a variety of situations in public health practice and chronic disease prevention, such as when working with different sectors and partners that…

Many people confuse the terms management and leadership, using them interchangeably or believing that not all managers are leaders, or that leadership is elusive and only found in a few special individuals. Management and leadership are two different concepts as this course explains; both are important to all organizations.

In chronic disease prevention and control, it is common for staff at all levels to be asked to lead through, or during times of, change. In this brief course, a high-level overview of key strategies and potential approaches for supporting others during times of change is offered. This course offers practical suggestions that can be applied in chronic disease units within state and local health departments.

Organizational capacity is having the internal support and resources needed to effectively manage your program. This course introduces learners to NACDD’s organizational capacity building tool – STAR (State Activation and Response).

Succession planning is a strategy for planning for the passing and replacement of key leaders in an organization in order to ensure continued, effective organizational performance. The public health workforce is changing, and organizations must prepare for change by utilizing succession planning and management strategies.

Systems thinking is an approach that considers how components within a larger structure operate and interact. Systems thinking aims to assess and address a problem holistically by considering linkages and relationships, while taking the whole system into account rather than just its individual parts.

In this course, you’ll learn how to move through the four phases of virtual meetings: Plan, Begin, Conduct and Follow Up as well as specific strategies for overcoming the common challenges of virtual meetings.

This is a short, self-paced course designed to teach you how to use learning objectives effectively. Subject matter experts and training developers will find practical tips to get professional learning activities off to a strong start.

In this course, you’ll learn how to you can overcome the challenges of working in a virtual environment and how to succeed when working virtually, as either an employee or a manager.

Time Commitment: 60-minute biweekly sessions for 4 months The Chronic Disease Directors Mentoring Program is designed to provide opportunities for building leadership capacity among new Chronic Disease Directors (CDD) in chronic disease prevention and health promotion by connecting them with CDDs with advanced practice in leadership and management. Through one-on-one interactions with a mentor, mentees will receive practical advice, guidance, and support to develop their leadership competencies further. This program will offer opportunities to exchange ideas and build upon past experiences while networking.

Time Commitment: 60-minute monthly meetings NACDD Government Affairs Forum monthly calls provide up-to-date information on the status of NACDD advocacy efforts and current policy news from Washington, D.C. On the calls, participants hear from NACDD’s leadership as well as consultants from Cornerstone Government Affairs about NACDD’s efforts to educate and engage legislators and policymakers about improving the resources available for chronic disease prevention. The calls are held every third Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET. To learn more, contact Liz Ruth, State Policy Analyst.

Time Commitment: 60-minute monthly meetings The Health Equity Council (HEC) is comprised of Chronic Disease Directors who are committed to engaging state health department staff and teams in the collective pursuit of equity. Chronic disease prevention and health promotion practitioners are working through NACDD’s Health Equity Council to address the root causes of health disparity and to create opportunities for applying health equity principles to public health practice. The Council works to support states in building capacity to address chronic disease disparities. The HEC focuses on educating state chronic disease and health promotion practitioners about the impact of the social…

Time Commitment: One 60-minute session weekly for 4 weeks New Chronic Disease Directors (CDDs) are invited to a cohort-based orientation that meets once a week for 60 minutes for four weeks. Topics include an orientation to NACDD, overview of the national landscape in chronic disease work, and time learning from experienced CDDs and connecting with new CDD peers. New CDDs will receive an email invitation to the program. This orientation is offered multiple times per year. New CDDs are encouraged to participate within the first year in their role.

Time Commitment: Seven 90-minute virtual sessions over several months plus partner work between sessions Partner Engagement Learning Labs are a series of interactive sessions connecting subject matter experts, state peers, and invited partners to learn about, use, and adapt NACDD’s Virtual State Engagement Model tools and resources by designing and implementing a state-specific partner engagement approach and sharing lessons learned with other participating states.

Time Commitment: One 60-minute virtual session quarterly These quarterly meetings are a chance for CDDs to connect with peers working in their geographic region. Each meeting has a specific discussion focus and a policy update section; all meetings emphasize networking, peer learning, and resource sharing.

Time Commitment: One 60-minute session quarterly with minimal work between sessions The Regional Representatives Committee is a Committee of the NACDD Board comprised of Chronic Disease Directors. The Committee meets quarterly to discuss a wide range of topics pertinent to Chronic Disease Directors, to inform NACDD programing and projects, and to collaborate with CDC. Representatives bring regional feedback to the quarterly Committee meetings. Representatives serve a two-year term on the Regional Representatives Committee. If you are interested in serving on the Regional Representatives Committee, please contact CPHL@chronicdisease.org

Time Commitment: One 60 to 90-minute virtual session monthly with work in between sessions for 6 months STAR is a rapid cycle organizational development model for improving effectiveness and efficiency in state health department chronic disease prevention and health promotion practices. STAR is based on a quality improvement approach. State implementation includes building a shared understanding of organizational capacity, conducting a unit-wide self-assessment, identifying opportunities for improvement, and developing and implementing a rapid cycle (30-90 day) action plan. States are supported through coaching and peer learning opportunities.

This course is based on a panel discussion at the 2022 NACDD Chronic Disease Academy. Learners will learn from leaders and innovators working at the frontlines of social justice and public health about what is working in the field, from community to policy level change.