Former PHMC scholar, Juan Gamez Briceno.
Juan Gamez-Briceno has an extensive background working in environmental public health. In the fall of 2021, he was promoted to Section Manager with the Washington State Department of Health. This was Juan’s first managerial position, and he began looking for opportunities to develop and advance his supervisory abilities.
Juan applied for the Public Health Management Certificate offered by the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice. The year-long program equips professionals newer to managerial roles with the critical skills needed to lead in public health organizations, prepare for senior roles, and manage complex workplace challenges effectively.
“I heard about the Public Health Management Certificate from my supervisor and several colleagues at the Department of Health,” Juan explained. “I was looking to broaden my knowledge of managerial concepts and improve my skills so I could become a better leader.”
From the start, Juan found a lot of value in the program. “I really enjoyed the in-person sessions we had in Seattle at the beginning of the program. That gave me a great chance to disconnect from my day-to-day work and really engage with the materials. I was also able to connect with peers in my cohort and start building a great network of relationships.”
“We started by doing a series of skills scope assessments to assess our current leadership abilities,” Juan explained. “I found that really helpful. It gave me good insight into areas I wasn’t aware of about myself and where I needed to improve as a manager.”
For his final project, Juan conducted a survey of cherry harvest tent camps. “One of the programs I oversee is temporary worker housing. I’m very passionate about farmworker housing and wanted to explore the specific challenges these workers experience.”
“In Washington State, we have fourteen locations specifically designated for seasonal cherry harvesting. At those sites, temporary workers live in tent camps that were developed in the 1990s and early 2000s, but haven’t been improved on since. Farmworkers living in these tent camps are exposed to extreme heat events, wildfire smoke, pesticides, and more. I wanted to highlight the intersection between their living conditions, climate change, and healthy equity.”
As Juan conducted his survey, he drew on many materials from the Public Health Management Certificate program. “I relied on several logic models we studied during the Program Evaluation course as I put together this evaluation plan. I also learned a lot about how to share presentations in a clear and effective manner.”
It didn’t take long for Juan’s peers at the Department of Health to take notice of the skills he was developing during the program. “As I began applying the course materials to team meetings at work, my peers saw the immediate impacts of the program. Our communication improved as a team, as did our goal setting, and we’ve seen a lot of positive changes and developments,” Juan noted.
“This program was set up in a great way and I really appreciated it,” Juan said. “I feel like my feet are more on the ground as a leader. I’m clearer and more realistic about the goals I set for our team. I’m also more attentive to encouraging people to succeed while being attentive to potential burnout. This was a very positive experience, and I wish there were more managerial training opportunities like this.”
Applications for the 2025–26 Public Health Management Certificate program are being accepted through May 31, 2025. Learn more and apply today.
