Former PHMC scholar, Autumn Chadborne.
Autumn Chadborne has worked for Jackson County Health and Human Services in southern Oregon since 2018.
“I’ve been in my role as a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program Manager for six years. I’ve done some management training but have never taken anything specifically focused on public health,” Autumn explained.
As the shocks of the pandemic began to lessen, her manager suggested that she consider the Public Health Management Certificate offered by the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice. The program is designed to prepare mid-career professionals for leadership roles, ensuring organizations of all sizes have a pipeline of talented leaders to maintain continuity and progress in public health management. After researching the program, Autumn joined in the fall of 2023.
“At first, I was a little hesitant. I only have my bachelor’s degree, and I wasn’t confident I’d be as qualified as my peers. But once we started, I realized I was able to participate on an equal footing, and I’m proud of how much I accomplished during the program."
“From day one, we covered materials I could immediately apply to my job, whether that was managing groups, overseeing programs, strategic planning and forecasting, or managing conflict.”
Autumn was especially impacted by the negotiation block taught by instructor Jim Reed. “Like many people, I’ve often felt very uncomfortable with conflict, but the materials Jim provided gave me a lot of confidence. I use those skills at work all the time, and I’ve also used them in my personal life, so they’ve been doubly impactful.”
One aspect of Autumn’s job that demanded her attention was staff retention and satisfaction. “Like many organizations we were hard hit by Covid-19. During the pandemic, I had massive turnover on my team. I had to bring in new staff, train them, and build a culture of sustainability and community. The management course block gave me the tools to develop and retain a team, and I now have a lot of consistency on my staff. We have great camaraderie, and my employees are very bonded with each other.”
For her final project, Autumn implemented a WIC participant satisfaction survey to improve community participation in her county. “Going through the program broadened my understanding of the entire field of public health, and when I began designing this survey, I reached out to other practitioners in related departments to better define and achieve the survey’s goals. I also received a lot of support from my peers, and that went a long way toward improving the final design.”
Autumn pointed out several ways this survey has improved WIC services in her county. “While designing this survey, I decided it was especially important to focus on tangible things, like the impacts of clinic locations, parking, and hours on our participants. Those might seem like small things, but we knew they affected participants’ satisfaction with the care we offer.”
“The results of this study have been very informative for our agency. They’ve helped us improve the quality of services we provide and have also helped staff better manage their caseloads. We also have plans for future changes that will hopefully make life better for those we serve.”
Applications for the 2025–26 Public Health Management Certificate program are being accepted through May 31, 2025. Learn more and apply today.
