Measuring the authority of local public health directors in the context of organizational structure: An exploratory, multimodal approach

Resource Summary

This article examines the relationship between organizational structure and authority of local public health directors based on data collected from Minnesota local health directors. It illustrates that emerging practice-based research networks can successfully collaborate on small-scale research projects with immediate application for systems development. Study findings are reportedly being used by local public health officials to help articulate their role, aid in succession planning, and inform elected officials, who need to consider the public health implications of potential changes to local public health governance and organization.

Available online: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23023279