Global Health Administrative Competencies

This chapter addresses the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and qualities— the competencies—essential to operate effectively in an administrative role at various levels, from the faculty person to the professional association. These are organized under broad domains.1 This chapter discusses the operational or administrative attributes of key individuals, the larger entities in which they operate, and how they might demonstrate their competency—what they actually do—as a reflection of their knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Administrative competencies in global health might be manifest as the philosophical principles incorporated into their mission, the goals and objectives within their strategic plan, and the policies and managerial decisions they incorporate in their activities. The entities with administrative duties discussed include global health faculty and program directors as well the larger entities of departmental and division structures, the entire health care or university system, and professional societies. Competencies imply action, as opposed to simple statements reflecting knowledge or belief, and, thus, need to be measurable to have relevance. Defining basic global health-related competencies increases transparency and induces change toward the ideal. Clear and measurable competency parameters are consumer friendly; the potential undergraduate, resident, or faculty candidate will incorporate these measures into his or her decision-making process when looking for a position. Moreover, and of critical importance, those on the other end of our attentions—the sites to which we send our students, conduct our research, and expand our institutional reach—can monitor and compare how they fare in a particular partnership by comparing it to a transparent and recognized standard. Thus, benchmarking levels of administrative competency at the broader institutional level can be true to the values of partnership and set the stage for bidirectional interaction.