The History of The Great Plains Leadership Institute
The Great Plains Public Health Leadership Institute began in 2005 as an initiative of The Nebraska Educational Alliance for Public Health Impact (NEAPHI)—a group of representatives from numerous academic and practice organizations concerned with Nebraska’s public health workforce training and education who explored joint interests. Initial funding for the Institute came from the Nebraska Health and Human Services System’s Health Care Cash Fund, Robert Wood Johnson, and the University of Iowa’s Upper Midwest Public Health Training and Upper Midwest Public Health Preparedness Centers.
The Institute underwent significant curriculum revisions and a name change in 2015-2016, becoming the Great Plains Leadership Institute (GPLI). The changes allowed the Institute to more broadly capture the content needed and the audiences who desire to lead in today’s health and health care landscape.
Since its inception, the Institute has trained over 250 professionals in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and South Dakota who care about the future of the public's health. Residing within the University of Nebraska Medical Center's College of Public Health, GPLI is entering its 15th year of providing leadership development for a broad cohort of stakeholders from governmental public health, to insurance companies, from community health centers to civic and elected leaders.