Leadership Institute scholar, Hallie Pritchett.
After having earned an MPH from UNC, Chapel Hill, Hallie Pritchett continued to pursue opportunities to advance her leadership skills and knowledge.
Through her peer network, Hallie heard a lot of amazing things about the Northwest Public Health & Primary Care Leadership Institute. The Leadership Institute brings together emerging leaders from public health and primary care in an effort to develop more equitable and effective approaches to health.
Hallie enrolled in the program in the spring of 2021. “From the first day, I discovered all these practical tools that I could immediately apply to my work,” Hallie recalled. “A lot of these tools, such as systems mapping and the feedback methods, I still use in my work today.”
Hallie found herself immediately drawn to Kendra Liljenquist’s positionality seminar. “It was the first time I’d done this type of workshop, and it really opened my eyes beyond my own personal bubble. Kendra’s workshop helped me understand that when you’re trying to improve collaborations between primary care and public health, you have to take time to understand where people are at in their own growth and experience.”
“This specific workshop, and the program as a whole, taught me to understand myself better, and to be more patient and listen better to others. I continue to draw on those skills today, and believe they’ve equipped me to be able to have a large impact in my work.”
While she was attending the program, Hallie was working as a Community Health Education Manager with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. For her final project, Hallie developed a framework for an intersectional equity development plan that focused on gender-based salary inequalities.
“I met often with a collaborative of women of color who work in the public and global health spheres,” Hallie explained. “I drew on their experiences to build an effective systems change structure that could improve how people approach and understand racial and gender equity. I’m really proud of this project, and not just because it impacted peoples’ work situations, but because it can be grown and adapted to be effective across various organizations or regions.”
Hallie has applied the many skills she gained from the program to her current role as the Manager of Operations for the Center for Anti-Racism and Community Health (ARCH). In this position, Hallie is responsible for strategic and operations planning and implementation. She also serves as a part-time lecturer with UW’s Community-Oriented Public Health Practice (COPHP) MPH program and has even worked with her old mentor, Kendra Liljenquist.
Hallie has some words of advice for anyone who might be considering the Institute's programs. “I think this program is really worth it. I’ve found that in many trainings, you receive impractical tools or you don’t have the opportunity to practice the really useful ones. The Leadership Institute will give you both practical, constructive tools as well as opportunities to put them into practice in real-life settings.”
She also points to the many networking opportunities she gained from her time at the Leadership Institute. “I enjoyed the Critical Friends Group that I was a part of. It was a great way to develop genuine relationships, which allowed for honest questions and constructive feedback that applied to the work we were doing in the program, as well as our day-to-day jobs. That network helped me improve my understanding of the many different ways that public health and primary care relate and overlap with one another.”
The Leadership Institute’s next cohort will begin in spring, 2024. Visit the training page to learn more about the Institute and apply for next year’s program.
