North Carolina Institute for Public Health celebrates 10th anniversary
| August 31, 2009 | |
Ten years ago, the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pulled together its considerable number of service and outreach programs, creating the North Carolina Institute for Public Health within the School.
Dr. Ed Baker
Edward Baker Jr., MD, serves as its director. Today the Institute houses 20 programs dedicated to continuing education, consulting and evaluation services, as part of the Gillings School of Global Public Health’s outreach efforts. Partnering with the N.C. Division of Public Health, the Institute has had leadership roles in public health nursing education, environmental health certifications and accreditation of local health departments. It also has a robust Office of Executive Education for managers and directors in public health practice. Two of its larger programs are the N.C. Center for Public Health Preparedness and Active Living by Design. Whether facing the health hazards of hurricane destruction, a communicable disease outbreak, or anthrax through the mail, the preparedness center has been at the heart of helping North Carolina with training, planning and emergency response. Last year, the N.C. Division of Public Health asked the center to assist each county health department develop a pandemic influenza plan. In addition, Team Epi-Aid, a cadre of graduate students organized and trained by the Institute’s preparedness center, helped respond to health care providers across the state. This group assists the state each year with surge capacity in case of emergencies. Disease surveillance and field assessments are two key activities that give the students experience outside the classroom. Active Living By Design (ALBD) supports community projects nationwide that encourage healthy lifestyles. “The range of these projects – bike lanes, walking paths, getting kids to bike or walk safely to school, converting old buildings to gyms and activity centers, rail-to-trail conversions – has been incredible,” says Baker, who points out that healthy eating, through the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities initiative, has been added to the ALBD mission. # # # For more information, visit www.sph.unc.edu/nciph. UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, director of communications, (919) 966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu. |
