Building Public Health Leadership Capacity Through Community-Based Education: The Florida Health Policy Leadership Academy.

Abstract

Building community leadership capacity has become essential for advancing preventive health. In Florida, where Home Rule governance gives local agencies primary responsibility for health improvement, community leaders are often on the frontlines of crisis response but typically lack training in health policy and operate within constrained systems that limit their ability to implement effective public health strategies. The Florida Health Policy Leadership Academy is an applied, community-based education program that trains cross-sector leaders, including those outside traditional public health roles, to apply evidence-based preventive public health policies. Implemented annually since 2021 through the University of Florida Bob Graham Center for Public Policy, the Florida Health Policy Leadership Academy employs a community-based participatory framework to strengthen local capacity for preventive health action. Over a 12-week hybrid program, fellows engage in applied learning, collaboration, and community health improvement projects to translate evidence into practice. Mixed-methods evaluation across cohorts included pre- and post-surveys, free-listing exercises, and qualitative interviews. These methods examined how the program influenced participants' knowledge, confidence, and applied leadership skills. Findings revealed improved data interpretation skills, leadership confidence, and systems-level understanding of health. Participants' conceptualizations of drivers of community health shifted from individual behaviors toward structural and environmental determinants, reflecting a deeper engagement with social and policy determinants of health. Qualitative data highlight the Academy's role in fostering ongoing partnerships and applied health initiatives. The Florida Health Policy Leadership Academy offers an innovative model for community-based public health leadership education that bridges academia, government, and civil society. By building preventive health capacity within local systems, this approach strengthens community resilience to emerging public health challenges.