Region IV Public Health Training Center

Note: This is a self-paced online course.  Training Overview: Change is a constant in both our personal and professional lives. The idea that human beings naturally resist change is deeply ingrained into our culture and how we think about change. This course provides public health professionals with a foundation in change management and practical tools for utilizing formal change management for an informatics or data analytics project. The entire training is expected to take 30 minutes to complete. There are no prerequisites. The course contains three modules: the content module, a workbook, and an evaluation. After finishing all three modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard. Participants will need a broadband internet connection (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred browsers) and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu.  About the Course Developers: This course was developed by the Region IV Public Health Training Center at the Emory University Rollins Schools of Public Health. The content was developed by Kelley Chester, PhD, MPH, Principal and Owner of C3 Informatics.  This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Read More

Leading in a Virtual Environment: Staying Connected with Your People, Your Work, and Your Mission Note: This is a recording of a live webinar held on July 12, 2023, from 12:00 pm-1:30 pm ET.  Training Overview: The most important aspects of leadership involve how well a leader communicates and connects to their team. Now that it is the standard workplace environment is online or a hybrid of in-person and online teams, what does leadership look like? And what is required of leaders to meaningfully connect to their team in order to cultivate good communication and engagement—and what do they do when they realize it’s not working? "Virtual Drift" refers to the gradual, unintentional tendency for virtual and hybrid team members to become increasingly disconnected from one another, from the work itself, and from the overall mission of the organization. It is critical for leaders to recognize this tendency, and actively counter that “drift” with intentional opportunities for team members to connect to one another, to the content of the work, and to the mission and meaning of the organization About the Trainer John Riordan has been committed to challenging people and organizations to reach their full potential for many years – first as co-founder and Director of Cornerstone Leadership Academy for 8 years in Uganda, and for the past 20 years as a Leadership and Organization Development Consultant working with a broad range of Federal, private sector and non-profit organizations. John sees the potential for leadership in every individual and is deeply motivated to support others who want to make the world a better place. He has coached hundreds of leaders from across every sector, challenging them expand their leadership capacity and have greater impact. Over the past 20 years he has conducted hundreds of workshops ranging from large groups (200+) to small teams and is adept at making sure the approach for the work fits well with his client’s style. John received his B.A. in Public Policy from Washington and Lee University (1987), and his M.A. in Educational Management from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda (1997). He and his wife Margaret, from Sydney, Australia, have four children and reside in Ashburn, Virginia. You can find out more about John and his range of services and online course materials on his website at www.johnriordan.com. CERTIFICATE:  The course contains two modules: a module to access the webinar and an evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Read More

Note: This is a recording of a webinar held on July 15, 2021. Training Overview Recent research says that executives average 23 hours per week in meetings and 49% of participants considered unfocused meetings and projects as the biggest workplace time waster and the primary reason for unproductive work days.In this session you’ll learn tactics to reduce meeting attendance and make the meetings you are going to more efficient and (dare we say) more fun. From pre-meeting planning, to structured meeting styles, to post-meeting follow up, participants will do hands-on training that will improve any meeting they are running. Stop steamrollers before they start, draw out the quiet experts in the room, be strategic with your slide deck and keep your agenda on track. By energizing and activating meetings, hopefully we can get out of meetings a little faster and a little happier. The course contains two modules: a content module and a resources and evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard. This recording is approximately 90 minutes. There are no prerequisites. Participants will need a broadband internet connection (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred browsers) and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu. About the Trainer Shana Merlin The Founder of Merlin Works, Shana Merlin is one of the most experienced and effective improv-based trainers in Texas. Shana is a lecturer in the College of Medicine Texas A&M University and an associate at the Center for Health Communication at the University of Texas.Presenting and performing nationwide, some of her clients have included Dell, T-Mobile, Silicon Labs, The University of Texas and Deloitte. Winner of “Best Improv Teacher” in Austin from the Austin Improv Collective, Shana founded Merlin Works, in 2003 to provide custom training, interactive presentations, and comedy shows to businesses and organizations using improvisation.  Some of her most requested fun, interactive programs are on the topics of team building, communication, sales, persuasion, leadership, making meetings matter, medical communications, and creativity. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Read More

Note: This is a recording of a webinar held on September 30, 2020. Training Overview Public health data are often imperfect, which means we have to rely on multiple data streams to get a clearer picture of the present situation. Proper understanding of data with context is the antidote to disinformation. In this webinar, we’ll go through how to find and evaluate data, identifying the merits and challenges of different data sets, to make sure we have the right data to answer our questions. The course contains two modules: a content module and a resources and evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard. This recording is approximately 90 minutes. There are no prerequisites. Participants will need a broadband internet connection (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred browsers) and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu. About the Trainer Amber Schmidtke, PhD At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Amber Schmidtke recognized there was a large gap between the way that scientists communicate and how non-scientists receive information. She has combined her roles as a public health microbiologist and college educator to provide meaningful analysis and explanation of disease trends to the public through a popular newsletter and podcast. As a result of these communication efforts she was invited to serve as a member of the Georgia COVID-19 Data State Task Force, advising government agencies on how to package their complex data to meet the needs of the public. In addition, she is a trusted resource for multiple local governments and news media outlets. Dr. Schmidtke holds a Ph.D. in medical microbiology and immunology from Creighton University. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Read More

Training Overview: This video provides an overview of joint information centers, crisis and emergency risk communication and working with a public information officer to communicate with the media. This training is intended for preparedness and response professionals in Georgia. This is a just-in-time training, and there are no prerequisites. This training addresses Capability 6, Function 1 of the Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capabilities: National Standards for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Public Health: identify stakeholders that should be incorporated into information flow and define information sharing needs. The course contains one 6-minute video. Participants will need a broadband internet connection and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu. For more information about hurricane response and recovery, visit the Georgia Hurricane Response Hub.    About the Course Developers: This course was developed by the Georgia Hurricane Response Hub at the Emory University Rollins Schools of Public Health in consultation with the Georgia Department of Public Health.   Funding for this project has been provided to the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) through a Cooperative Agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC – NU1ROT000004-01-00). NNPHI is collaborating with Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health on this project.  Read More

Note: This is a recording of a webinar held on July 15, 2019. Training Overview This second webinar (part 2 of 2) will discuss a mental health response to human-created disasters. The phases of response to a human-created disaster will be described as well as the factors that lead to resilience. Case studies on recent human-created disasters will be discussed. It will also discuss the relationship between the mental health and public health sectors and how these two groups work together during a human-created disaster. The course contains two modules: a content module and a resources and evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard. This recording is approximately 90 minutes. There are no prerequisites. Participants will need a broadband internet connection (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred browsers) and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu. About the Trainer Will Wells, MSW and Sonya Jenkins William Wells works in Emergency Preparedness and Response for the South Carolina Department of Mental Health. He coordinates behavioral health resources across the state in preparation, response and recovery activities related to natural and human-created disasters. With over 45 years of mental health experience Will has worked in a variety of clinical and non-clinical settings. Will holds his Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina.   Sonya Jenkins is the County Director of the Charleston Mental Health Center West Ashley Clinic located at 2100 Charlie Hall Blvd., Charleston, S.C.  Ms. Jenkins has more than 25 years of experience in the field of mental health, providing treatment to adults, children, adolescents, and their families. As an Independent Licensed Social Worker, she serve as one of the leaders of the Mother Emmanuel A.M.E Empowerment Center. Her aim is to provide healing support in a safe and healthy environment. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Read More