Public health has moved to the forefront of national interest and scrutiny in the light of present-day events. Public health professionals are now regulars in all forms of media, something unheard of just a few years ago. The issues are well known - bioterrorism, SARS, West Nile Virus - and they are enough to panic a population without skilful leadership. This volume examines public health leadership in terms of emergency preparedness and specific skills and tools. As modern-day threats force leaders to look at how they address disasters and drive communities to prepare themselves, this book provides tools and real life cases to hone management skills to prepare agencies to deal with large scale events. [Ed.] [Contents] Part 1. Overview to the changing world of public health. - 1. The new public health : a preparedness approach. - 2. The social capital perspective. - 3. The changing public health system. Part 2. Emergency preparedness and response. - 4. Overview to bioterrorism, preparedness and response. - 5. Bioterrorism competencies for leaders. - 6. New partnerships. - 7. Concern for the community and safety. Part 3. New leadership skills and tools. - 8. Systems thinking and complexity. - 9. People skills. - 10. Public health law and ethics. - 11. Risk and crisis communication. - 12. Tipping point awareness. - 13. Forensic epidemiology. - 14. Building communities. - 15. Change strategies. - Part 4. The future.