Community Spotlight: Dorothy Cilenti leads the Gillings School vision for practice

Dorothy Cilenti, DrPH, may be new to the role of associate dean for practice, but she’s a two-time Carolina grad and a longtime advocate for the public health workforce in North Carolina.

Cilenti has led numerous public health agencies — including Chapel Hill’s own Orange County Health Department — and currently leads the National Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Workforce Development Center in addition to her faculty roles in the Department of Maternal and Child Health and in the Department of Health Policy and Management. Now she’s bringing that expertise and passion for building community relationships to her new leadership role.

I’ve had more than 35 years of work experience now at all different levels: nonprofit, state and local government, and the academic sector. And I’m continuing to expand my understanding of how all of these parts are important and work together.

The associate dean for practice oversees the implementation of the Gillings School’s strategic plan for practice, which was developed in 2022 to elevate practice as equal with research and teaching in the School’s mission. Cilenti will be building on the work of the previous associate dean for practice John Wiesman, DrPH, MPH. In this role, she will work with Practice Director Meghan Lassiter to focus on developing new partnerships with public health practitioners both inside and outside the Gillings School walls. She also wants to engage faculty who do practice-based work and to develop sustainable funding models that support community-engaged work, student practica and other practice-based efforts.

The School’s academic health department model creates opportunities that benefit faculty, students and the workforce. Academic partners can provide needs assessments, program evaluation, workforce training and more to public health agencies that are often financially strained and understaffed, while practitioners can bring their real-world teaching, community context and experience to the classroom to train future public health leaders. The Gillings School Partnership Hubs across the state are just one example of this model. In addition, the School pursues a number of joint projects with public health agencies and organizations, including Nurture NC, the WIC Maternal Health Center and the Improving Community Outcomes for Maternal and Child Health initiative.

Cilenti aims to build on these successes and continue to elevate the importance of public health work in practice at Carolina.

“I feel fortunate to be in this role,” Cilenti said. “I’ve had more than 35 years of work experience now at all different levels: nonprofit, state and local government, and the academic sector. And I’m continuing to expand my understanding of how all of these parts are important and work together.”