​Hundreds of performance improvement professionals gathered in New Orleans for the Public Health Improvement Training on June 9-10, 2015. The annual event provided interactive, hands-on training opportunities this year with the goal of advancing performance in systems, agencies, and communities.

Sonja Armbruster, Quality Improvement Expert at the Public Health Foundation (PHF), delivered workshops in performance management, quality improvement (QI), workforce development, and strategic planning to more than 200 attendees, providing them with practical guidance to meet individual and organizational objectives.

• Armbruster and Reena Chudgar from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) provided an introduction to QI in a public health accreditation context, highlighting key tools and methods, such as those detailed in the Public Health Quality Improvement Encyclopedia.  
• In an introduction to performance management workshop, Armbruster introduced resources such as the Performance Management Toolkit and the Performance Management Self-Assessment. These performance management tools have been used by health departments nationwide to support adoption of performance management and prepare for public health accreditation.
• In a strategic planning session, Armbruster introduced a framework for aligning from the outset the various plans that support public health accreditation. PHF experts have assisted approximately 25 percent of the accredited health departments as of May 2015.
• Armbruster and PHF’s Assistant Director for the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice Kathleen Amos led a workshop on aligning job descriptions with workforce competencies, featuring the recently updated (2014) Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies). PHF also offers customized technical assistance geared at aligning job descriptions with the Core Competences.