Gillings on the Ground:
Disaster Response Training Programs

What is Gillings on the Ground?

Gillings on the Ground combines cohort-based learning with interdisciplinary training to develop a team of students and faculty primed with the skills – and the structure and coordination within the Gillings School – to work with communities in disaster preparedness and relief. Gillings on the Ground is open to not only Gillings faculty and students, but anyone interested in learning more about disaster response and emergency management.

Gillings on the Ground is a two-semester training program with a six-week “mini-course” in the fall semester and a hands-on component in the spring semester. The six-week mini-course in the fall semester consists of didactic sessions led by Gillings faculty and community members with years of experience in disaster response and emergency preparedness. These sessions cultivate skills focused on various aspects of disaster relief, public health and community engagement, with an emphasis on health equity in disaster response. Following the completion of the fall course, trainees will be awarded a certificate of completion.

For the spring semester, Gillings on the Ground connects participants with community partners to complete disaster-related service or training opportunities as a cohort. During the spring 2022 semester, Gillings on the Ground partnered with UNC-Wilmington, Appalachian State University, New Hanover County Public Health Department and the American Red Cross to offer an opportunity to participate in fieldwork-specific didactic sessions and a hands-on shelter simulation on UNC-Wilmington’s campus. Once students completed the spring didactic sessions and the shelter simulation, they were eligible to become American Red Cross volunteers through a streamlined application process.

After completing the Gillings on the Ground trainings, participants will have the foundation and knowledge to volunteer and more effectively engage in disaster relief efforts. We welcome any students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members interested in disaster response to join us this fall!

Fall 2022 Training Program Schedule

Week One: Emergencies in Public Health
Wednesday, October 12, 5:30-7 p.m. ET via Zoom

• Quintana Stewart, Orange County health director
• Amy Belflower Thomas, director of Community Assessment and Strategy at the North Carolina Institute for Public Health (NCIPH)

Week Two: Disaster Preparedness
Monday, October 17, 5:30-7 p.m. ET via Zoom

• Ashley Stoop, director of Policy, Planning and Preparedness at Albemarle Regional Health Services

Week Three: Disaster Response
Monday, October 24, 5:30-7 p.m. ET via Zoom

• Kimberly Clement, program manager of the Healthcare Preparedness Program at the NCDHHS
• Bill Gentry, director of the Community Preparedness and Disaster Management Certificate Program and associate professor of Health Policy and Management

Week Four: Disaster Recovery
Wednesday, November 2, 6:30-8 p.m. ET via Zoom

• Pastor Anthony Gibson, senior pastor of Peletah Ministries
• Dr. Dawn Baldwin-Gibson, executive pastor of Peletah Ministries and superintendent of Peletah Academic Center for Excellence

Week Five: Disaster Mitigation
Wednesday, November 9, 6:30-8 p.m. ET via Zoom

• Sheila Davies, Dare County public health director
• John Wallace, senior data advisor at the NCIPH

Week 6: Lactation and Infant Feeding in Disaster Settings
Monday, November 14, 5:30-7 p.m. ET via Zoom

• Malaika Ludman, program administrator, Infant Ready Program at New Orleans Breastfeeding Center

Fall 2022 Session Recordings

Emergencies in Public Health Slides (PDF)