Public Health Leadership, Louis, Rowitz, Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers, Inc., 2001. 419 pages, hardbuck, $ 59.00.

Rowitz's book is a well-written bargain. The content is accurate concise, and easily readable. As the book is written for professionals already expert in the field, it does not comprehensively review all leadership and management theories but rather summarizes the concepts to refresh the reader's memory and then uses them in examining public health problems and issues. Discussion of these issues and various approaches to them demonstrate the book's thoughtfulness and comprehensiveness. A major strength of the book is its usefulness as well as its rich examples and practical information.

Public Health Leadership' s author has had an extensive career as a Professor of public health, and creator of the journal Leadership in Public Health. When both national and regional public health leadership institutes were created and held to help improve public health functioning, Rowitz served as the first regional public health leadership institute director. These institutes were not only to enhance competency but also to build networks among public health professionals committed to continued personal development and increased agency effectiveness. In addition to such involvement, in 1996 Rowitz interviewed various leaders in public health both in the US and abroad and also met with 400 professionals who had attended the Mid-America Regional Public Health Leadership Institute. From his own experience as well as those shared with him, Rowitz created this comprehensive practical book. It is a timely, scholarly text with theories, models, illustrations, and a superb reference list including the classics in the field as well as very recent public health research.

Rowitz believes strongly that public health professionals are responsible for making our public health system "work." His goal is to help assure that public health leaders obtain the needed knowledge, tools, and encouragement to maximize their effectiveness. He refers to the 1988 publication. The Future of Public Health and the 1996 Institute of Medicine's Healthy Communities. Both publications illustrate that public health is being redefined in its mission and role with an increased emphasis upon collaboration with communities for mutual planning and decision making. Social justice, as an ethical and professional concept, is consistently affirmed throughout the book.

The book is divided into four sections. Section one focuses on leadership and management theory. Chapter one concludes with an exercise titled "course expectations" which suggests the text is useful only for the regional public health leadership institutes; however, it is equally effective for self-study. The core functions inherent in public health's paradigm of assessment, policy development, and assurance are detailed in the second section. Skills needed by all leaders such as communication, planning, decision making, conflict negotiation, mentoring, and cultural competency receive attention in the third section. The fourth section on evaluation includes credentialing and accreditation. The book closes with a brief but positive glimpse of the future.

Each chapter has a summary and discussion questions, many of which require application of the concepts. Many chapters have exercises. The excellent and well-done case studies are drawn from Institute participants' professional career activities and are beautiful examples of both the strengths and barriers present in planned change to improve health of communities. Exhibits sprinkled throughout the book give further, expanded detail about selected concepts with lists of crucial aspects, examples of application, or worksheets. Figures include models of theories or illustrations of important concepts.

The book has such richness that the public health professional may want to review it more than once before finalizing a plan of action. The many examples of public health in action throughout the book may serve as useful reminders of how public health leaders must plan multiple interventions with multiple groups over a long period of time to successfully implement change. Successful change requires extensive involvement with the broader community as well as selected groups within that community. The book is an important addition to the list of readable reference books that are full of practical approaches suggested by experts actively involved in the field.