Gillings Virtual Student Engagement
Explore resources and events from the Gillings School, UNC and the community
For Welcome and Orientation Events, visit the Welcome Events page.
Gillings School Student Activities, Organizations and Community Events
Events
- Gillings Student Organizations and Activities Fair – Wednesday, September 1 (1 – 3 p.m.) in the Michael Hooker Research Center Atrium)
General Links
- UNC Gillings Student Organizations
- Carolina Union
- UNC Graduate School Events
- HeelLife
- UNC Gillings Alumni Events
- UNC Alumni Association
- Get Involved with UNC Campus Rec
- Visit Chapel Hill
- Chapelboro.com
- Ackland Art Museum
- Carolina Community Garden
Health and Wellness
A message from Dean Sims-Evans (PDF)
Wind Down Wednesday Mental Fitness Series
Wind Down Wednesday is a virtual mental fitness series created to help students to maintain a healthy school-life balance. Join professionals in Public Health and Mental Health invited by Associate Dean for Student Affairs- Charletta Sims Evans to coach current students on keeping your stress and anxiety low during the semester.
- August 25 at 5pm: What is your new normal? with Stephanie Briscoe (Register now.)
- September 15 at 5pm:Releasing Fear and Embracing Peace with Rae Lundy (Register now.)
- October 13 at 5pm: Supporting the LGBTQ Community with Dr. Brad Johnson (Register now.)
- November 10 at 5pm: Solving for X: Maintaining Balance Amidst Uncertainty with Stephanie Helms Pickett (Register now.)
Mental Health and Wellness
- Coping with Stress during COVID (Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention)
- 7 Tips for Mental Fitness (Department of Homeland Security)
- Wellness Resources from the NC Department of Health and Human Services
- Resources from the Mental Wellness Awareness Association
- Emotional Wellness Toolkit (National Institutes of Health)
- Gillings School Culture of Health
- Peers for Progress Support Pods (View Existing Pods, Start a Pod, or Register a Pod)
- Healthy Heels – Support Resources
Fitness
- YMCA Health and Fitness Videos
- Les Mills on Demand At Home Workouts
- 10 Instagram Live Free Workouts (USA Today)
- Running Training Plans (Runner’s World)
- Free Yoga Classes from CorePower Yoga
Virtual Nutrition
Peer2Peer
Peer2Peer is an undergraduate and graduate student-led initiative that provides peer support in the form of one-on-session with peer responders. Through these conversations, we support anonymity and individual autonomy. Peer support connects us to each other through shared experiences.
We hope our Peer Responders’ diverse range of lived experiences can help students across the country find comfort during this unprecedented time. We encourage individuals to use this platform as an avenue to talk about what may be on their minds– both mental and non-mental health-related.
Peer2Peer values vulnerability, empathy, and perspectives that are innate to peer support. We hope students across the country will seek support through Peer2Peer and encourage those around them to do the same.
Connect with Peer2Peer Services.
Lectures, Seminars and Webinars
Gillings School Series
- Emergency Preparedness, Ethics and Equity Series
- Building COVID-19 Research Collaborations Webinar Series
- Dean’s Lecture Series
- Dean’s Inclusive Excellence Lecture Series
- School Events
Student Success Seminars
Student Success Seminars focus on empowering all of our students to succeed in navigating the university environment. We plan the seminars with the overall goal of equipping students to achieve their academic and personal goals by offering sessions geared toward enhanced learning (e.g. research talks), sessions on interpersonal development, personal responsibility, professional development, leadership, and more. Seminars are specifically for current, matriculating students in both the undergraduate and graduate programs in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
- Be Proactive Rather than Reactie and CONQUER your Semester with Dr. Kristen Black, alumna and vice chair of the Gillings Alumni Association – Thursday, September 23 at 5pm (Register now.)
Outside of the Gillings School
- Friday Morning Conference Series
- Tar Heels Together – LIVE
- Office for Diversity and Inclusion Events
- North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute Webinars
- APHA and National Academy of Medicine: COVID-19 Conversations
- Consortium of Universities for Global Health Webinars
Career Services
Events:
Gillings School Career Summit for 1st Year Students
August 27 (noon – 5 p.m.) and September 10 (noon – 5 p.m.)
More information coming soon.
Public Health Resume Tips and Tricks
Thursday, September 9 (5-6:15 p.m.)
Register on Handshake.
Gillings Practicum Search Bootcamp
Thursday, September 30 (5-6:15 p.m.)
Register on Handshake.
Public Health Job Search Tips nd Tricks
Thursday, October 7 (5-6:15 p.m.)
Register on Handshake.
Virtual Lunch and Learn
Friday, October 15 (noon – 1 p.m.)
Register on Handshake.
Basic Networking Session: Go from Dull to Awesome
Thursday, October 28 (5-6:15 p.m.)
Register on Handshake.
Interviewing Techniques for Jobs, Internships and Fellowships
Thursday, November 4 (5-6 p.m.)
Register on Handshake.
Be Your Own Accountability Coach
Thursday, November 11 (5-6:15 p.m.)
Register on Handshake.
Virtual Lunch and Learn
Friday, Nocember 12 (noon – 1 p.m.)
Register on Handshake.
General Links:
What We’re Listening to and Reading
Podcasts
Race, History, and Anti-Racist Education
LGBTQ
Public Health, Wellness and Nutrition
- Flip the Script
- Emerging Infectious Diseases: CDC
- Ted Health
- Food Heaven Podcast
- The Doctor’s Farmacy
- Roots of Change
Antiracism
- Still Processing: Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris
- Jemele Hill is Unbothered (Spotify, Apple Music)
- Code Switch (NPR)
- Pod Save the People (Crooked Media)
- About Race
- Momentum: A race forward podcast
- Seeing White
- Pod for the Cause (from The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights)
- 1619 (from the New York Times)
- Intersectionality Matters! (from The African American Policy Forum)
- Throughline (from NPR)
- Yo, Is This Racist?
- Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsey
Books
Race and Culture
- When They Call You a Terrorist
- Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race
Public Health
- Beating Back the Devil: On the Front Lines with the Disease Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service
- To Repair the World: Paul Farmer Speaks to the Next Generation
- Mud Creek Medicine: The Life of Eula Hall and the Fight for the Appalachia
- The Fears of the Rich, The Needs of the Poor
Antiracism
- Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (Robin DiAngelo)
- So You Want to Talk About Race (Ijeoma Oluo)
- How To Be An Antiracist (Ibram X. Kendi)
- Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice that Shapes What We See Think and Do (Jennifer L. Eberhardt)
- Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do (Claude Steele)
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi)
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race (Renni Eddo-Lodge)
- This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work (Tiffany Jewell)
- Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson)
- The End of Policing (Alex S. Vitale)
Movies and Videos
- 13th (2016)
- I Am Not Your Negro (2017)
- Teach Us All (2017)
- Just Mercy (2019)
- The Hate U Give (2018)
- When They See Us (2019)
- The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017)
- NY Times Film Club: 26 Mini-Films for Exploring Race, Bias and Identity With Students
- TEDTalk Playlist: Talks to help you understand racism
- TED: Implicit Bias
- Moving the Race Conversation Forward
- What is Systemic Racism? (Race Forward video series)
- Diversity Training Isn’t Enough!: Racism, Trauma, and Justice (with Dr. Joy A. Degruy)
Web Articles and Links
Antiracism
- RACISM 101: UNDERSTANDING RACE AND RACISM
- Racism Kills: Why Many Are Declaring It a Public Health Crisis
- The Atlantic: Ta-Nehisi Coates “The Case for Reparations”
- Racial Equity Glossary
- Code of Ethics for White Anti-Racists
- How Did We Get Here?: 163 of The Atlantic’s writing on race and racism in America
- Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture
- Hey, you got a little racism stuck in your teeth.
Additional Resources
Antiracism
Archived Webinar Recordings
Student Success Seminars
Tips on Self-Advocacy for Graduate Students and Early Career Professionals with Dr. Andre Brown [View Recording]
Be Proactive Rather than Reactive and Conquer Your Semester with Dr. Kristin Black [View Recording]
Wind Down Wednesday Series
What is your New Normal? with Stephanie Briscoe [View Recording.]
Identity and Self Worth with Angenette Crume [View Recording]
Radical Self Care with Dawna Jones, Assistant Dean for Students [View Recording]
Grief and Loss with Greg Bocchino [View Recording]
Managing Your Attention with Shekinah Fashaw [View Recording]
Food and our Health with Jonathan Earnest [View Recording on YouTube.]
Optimizing Your Space and Time with Betty-Shannon Prevatt [Watch on YouTube]
Harnessing Your Strengths and Resilience with Candice Fisher Webb [Watch on YouTube]
Alleviating Stress and Anxiety with Dr. Kamala Uzzell [Watch on YouTube]
Mental Fitness Series: How to Fail Better, speaker Shirin Eskandani, Personal Coach and founder of Wholehearted Coaching [View Recording]
Burn Out and the Stress Cycle with Jill Triana, Owner and Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor at Capital Counseling [View Recording]
Microaffirmations: Small Act…Big Impact with Candice Powell, director of Carolina Covenant [View Recording]
International Student Resources
COVID-19 Emergency Funding Resources for International Students
Fall 2021 International Student Support Pod
Fridays, noon-1pm
Online (Zoom)
Register to join each session.
- September 10: Register online.
- October 15: Register online.
- November 19: Register online.
Black and POC Student Resources
Black Student Support Pod
The Gillings Black Student Support Pod was created to support the success of current, matriculated black students in the Gillings School. This support pod is ONLY for students who identify as Black in the Gillings School. The purpose of this support pod is to create opportunities for students to create a network and learn how to use their new support system. Students are given the opportunity to choose themes and topics for discussion, and develop ground rules for each event. As part of the Gillings Black Student Support Pod committee, we work to provide resources when needed, offer coping skills to use during the pandemic, share helpful podcasts/books and new meditation apps, allow students to openly discuss their concerns about School and University issues and discuss current local, state and national events related to racial unrest. Most importantly, we offer a time for Black students to connect and have a community! This monthly event is scheduled once monthly, Tuesday afternoon at 5pm and the duration should be 45 minutes – one hour.
- Navigating White Spaces with Dr. Charla Blumell – Tuesday, September 14 at 5pm (Register now.)
- The Imposter Syndrome with Tomiko Ball – Tuesday, October 5 at 5pm (Register now.)
- Black Trauma with Reba Royster – Tuesday, November 16 at 5pm (Register now.)
Black Mental Health Resources
Please note: The resources included here are not endorsed by UNC-Chapel Hill, and UNC-Chapel Hill is not responsible for the content of or service provided by any of these resources.
Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM)
Group aimed at removing the barriers that Black people experience getting access to or staying connected with emotional health care and healing. They do this through education, training, advocacy and the creative arts.
Black Men Heal
Limited and selective free mental health service opportunities for Black men.
Black Mental Health Alliance — (410) 338-2642
Provides information and resources and a “Find a Therapist” locator to connect with a culturally competent mental health professional.
Black Mental Wellness
Provides access to evidence-based information and resources about mental health and behavioral health topics from a Black perspective, as well as training opportunities for students and professionals.
Black Women’s Health Imperative
Organization advancing health equity and social justice for Black women through policy, advocacy, education, research and leadership development.
Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation
BLHF has launched the COVID-19 Free Virtual Therapy Support Campaign to raise money for mental health services provided by licensed clinicians in our network. Individuals with life-changing stressors and anxiety related to the coronavirus will have the cost for up to five (5) individual sessions defrayed on a first come, first serve basis until all funds are committed or exhausted.
Brother You’re on My Mind
An initiative launched by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and NIMHD to raise awareness of the mental health challenges associated with depression and stress that affect Black men and families. Website offers an online toolkit that provides Omega Psi Phi Fraternity chapters with the materials needed to educate fellow fraternity brothers and community members on depression and stress in Black men.
Ebony’s Mental Health Resources by State
List of Black-owned and focused mental health resources by state as compiled by Ebony magazine.
Hurdle
Provides culturally sensitive self-care support and teletherapy for Black men and their families. Currently in pilot program available only to residents of MD, VA and DC. Residents of other states can join their waiting list and will be notified when Hurdle is available in their state.
Melanin and Mental Health
Connects individuals with culturally competent clinicians committed to serving the mental health needs of Black & Latinx/Hispanic communities. Promotes the growth and healing of diverse communities through its website, online directory and events.
Ourselves Black
Provides information on promoting mental health and developing positive coping mechanisms through a podcast, online magazine and online discussion groups.
POC Online Classroom
Contains readings on the importance of self care, mental health care, and healing for people of color and within activist movements.
Sista Afya
Organization that provides mental wellness education, resource connection and community support for Black women.
Therapy for Black Girls
Online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. Offers listing of mental health professionals across the country who provide high quality, culturally competent services to Black women and girls, an informational podcast and an online support community.
The SIWE Project
Non-profit dedicated to promoting mental health awareness throughout the global Black community.
The Steve Fund
Organization focused on supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color.
Unapologetically Us
Online community for Black women to seek support.
Self-Care For People Of Color
In recognition of many mental health conditions are being triggered as a result of the coronavirus, the economic crisis and repeated racist incidents and death.
Learn more about mental health conditions including anxiety disorders, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.