From April 3-7, NCIPH and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health celebrated National Public Health Week, an annual event to both raise awareness about public health issues and celebrate those who work on them every day. NCIPH was excited to host events in conjunction with school-wide Gillings Cup Challenge. Organized by the student government, the challenge invited departments to attend events ranging from daily fitness classes to scavenger hunts throughout the week, racking up points for their academic departments. To showcase the diverse range of skills and experiences in our department, NCIPH hosted daily pop-up lectures. In these casual gatherings in the school’s Atrium, staff members shared their expertise with curious students and staff. NCIPH also enthusiastically participated in the week’s other events, earning fourth place in the Gillings Cup Challenge. Below, a summary of the week’s events:

Day 1

Penny Slade-Sawyer, Director of Culture of Health at the Gillings School, shared with participants what 10 minutes of exercise a day can do.

Day 2

Operations and QI Manager Carol Gunther-Mohr shared resources developed by NCIPH and others to understand and respond to mental health needs of community members and responders during natural and man-made disasters.

Day 3

NCIPH staffers Lori Rhew, Matt Simon, John Wallace, and Britnae Purdy shared the Collect Smart app, spoke of their first-hand experience with data collection efforts in Nash and Edgecombe Counties, and discussed NCIPH’s other collaborative projects across North Carolina.

Day 4

Senior Investigator John Graham discussed his recent research on implementing healthier food guidelines in hospital and federal building cafeterias.

Day 5

Kasey Decosimo and her therapy dog Charlie were on hand in the Atrium for pets and snuggles! They also chatted with students about the Institute and gave out healthy snacks to power them through the last day of the week!