practice strategic plan 2022-2028

Progress Tracker

The Gillings School six-year practice strategic plan, approved in July 2022, provides a roadmap for action. Gillings elevates practice as equal with research and teaching to help make North Carolina the healthiest state in the nation and to advance health globally.

The practice vision, goals and strategies were developed by the Gillings Practice Task Force after interacting with over 175 people across faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends, and stakeholders. The interactive progress tracker provides periodic updates about the steps we have taken to make a meaningful difference in health equity and outcomes.

Updated January 2025.

plan pdf

Improve the structure and align roles of practice.

GOAL:

Clearly identified and sufficiently resourced entity responsible for catalyzing faculty, student, and staff engagement at the intersection of research, academics and practice.

PROGRESS

Strategy 1A

Establish clear leadership for practice.

Progress summary

This effort has been successfully completed.

Project details

As of January 2025, John Wiesman, DrPH, MPH, continues to provide leadership as the associate dean for practice. Amy Lanou, PhD, continues to serve as the director of the North Carolina Institute of Public Health (NCIPH) and Vaughn Upshaw, DrPH, EdD is chair of the Public Health Leadership and Practice department.
Internal and external committees, such as the Practice Advisory Committee and Practice Coordinating Committee, are collaborating with the practice team as well as other academic institutions and external partners to ensure ability to achieve the Practice Strategic Plan goals.

Strategy 1B

Expand NCIPH’s role to be the key platform for organized practice efforts at Gillings.

Progress summary

This effort is progressing as planned.

Project details

In October 2023, the Gillings School created a new department to combine the Public Health Leadership Program (PHLP) and NCIPH. This will elevate PHLP to a department status and allow NCIPH to connect with the school on a deeper level which will lead to more sustainable funding opportunities. The department was named Public Health Leadership and Practice.
As of January 2025, NCIPH has contributed to proposals and contracted with many faculty and staff at Gillings along with public health practitioners at the local, state and federal level. Efforts to grow the capacity of NCIPH to support practice efforts will continue.

Prioritize and implement key recommended practice initiatives.

GOAL:

Implement innovative, defined practice initiatives to help Gillings actualize our vision for practice and make a measurable difference in improving health equity and health outcomes.

PROGRESS

Strategy 2A

Create/sustain public health partnership hub(s) with defined communities in N.C.

Progress summary

This effort is progressing as planned.

Project details

In 2023, the Gillings School built relationships with four health departments in Cumberland, Durham, Halifax and Jackson counties. The four communities will be our pilot public health partnership hubs. The Hub was proposed by the Gillings School to provide high intensity support and resources for five to ten years with these well-defined communities with critical equity opportunities.
As of January 2025, four Community Hub Coordinators have been hired to work in Cumberland, Durham, Halifax and Jackson counties. Hub Coordinators will collaborate with community organizations to support projects that address their health priorities. The Gillings School has awarded twelve paid practicum and internship opportunities to MPH students.

Strategy 2B

Develop/sustain coordinated resilience/response capacity to PH emergencies.

Progress summary

This effort is progressing as planned.

Project details

In 2023, the Gillings School has been selected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a five-year work plan for a Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (PHEPR) coordinating center, to be established in 2024 through a competitive CDC Notice of Funding Opportunity. The associate dean for practice will lead the planning efforts along with a group of Gillings School experts in NCIPH and the Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center (CSCC).
As of September 2024, the Gillings School, in collaboration with NCIPH, was selected to receive a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a Regional Center for Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR), with the goal of enhancing public health preparedness and response across the southeastern United States. This center is one of ten centers serving the entire country to support the uptake of evidence-based strategies that strengthen public health emergency preparedness and response nationwide.

Strategy 2C

Advocate for academic health departments across N.C.

Progress summary

This effort is in the startup and progressing as planned.

Project details

As of January 2025, the NC Public Health Academic Practice Network has continued to meet regularly and work together to improve practice opportunities for students and faculty including implementation of more academic health departments.
The Practice Unit and NCIPH have also taken steps to formalize an academic health department agreement with the NC Division of Public Health.

Strategy 2D

Create a public health collaborative to address complex problems.

Progress summary

This effort is in the startup with some barriers of concern that are being monitored.

Project details

As of June 2024, the Gillings School is partnering with NC Department of Health and Human Services to identify the needs related to the behavioral health system.

Fund practice from a variety of sources.

GOAL:

Strategic plan for practice will be fully funded with a diversified mix of federal, state, local governmental investments, private support and grants and contracts.

PROGRESS

Strategy 3A

Coordinate a Resource Development Workgroup to develop a phased funding strategy to implement the strategic plan.

Progress summary

This effort is in the startup and progressing as planned.

Project details

The Practice Unit is working with the finance office and advancement team at the Gillings School to create a resource development group and develop a funding plan for each strategy in the Practice Strategic Plan.

Strategy 3B

Diversify funding.

Progress summary

This effort is progressing as planned.

Project Details

As of January 2025, NCIPH and the Practice Unit have partnered to receive funding opportunities from local health departments, NC A&T State University, the Center for Disease Control, NC Department of Health and Human Services and the NC Division of Public Health.

Strategy 3C

Assess feasibility of systematically tracking practice expenditures.

Progress summary

This effort is in the startup.

Project Details

In collaboration with Strategic Analysis and Business Intelligence (SABI) and the Finance Office at the Gillings School, the Practice Unit is tracking their current investments and practice and looking for ways to show impact.

Incentivize practice to enable more faculty, staff and students to engage.

GOAL:

Expanded and improved set of incentives will be fully operational in supporting faculty and staff engagement with public health practice partners.

PROGRESS

Strategy 4A

Expand and sustain all forms of incentives.

Progress summary

This effort is in the startup.

Project details

With assistance from the Practice Coordinating Committee, the Practice Unit has begun to analyze academic promotion criteria and determine how Appointment, Promotion and Tenure Guidelines can be updated at the school and department level to better recognize practice work.

Strategy 4B

Reduce barriers.

Progress summary

This effort is in the startup.

Project details

The 2024-2029 Research Strategic Plan was released in March 2024. Conversions between the associate dean of practice, the associate dean of research and the assistant dean of research have begun to align initiatives and increase practice-based research and community engagement.

Measure contributions and communicate our story.

GOAL:

Develop infrastructure to systematically collect, analyze, review, report, communicate and use data on practice activities and impact on improving the public’s health.

PROGRESS

Strategy 5A

Clearly define measures to track practice activities and impact.

Progress summary

This effort is in the startup.

Project details

As of June 2024, the Practice Unit has reviewed measures with the assistant dean for strategic analysis and business intelligence. Measures will continue to be evaluated to meet the needs of the Gillings School.

Strategy 5B

Develop a process for collecting, analyzing and reviewing measures and data on practice.

Progress summary

This effort is in the startup.

Project details

As of January 2025, many units within the Gillings School are working to display research and practice work through a digital map that will be on display on campus and online.

Strategy 5C

Create a dynamic reporting platform and communication plan.

Progress summary

This effort is in the startup.

Project details

In collaboration with the Communications and Marketing Team at Gillings, the Practice Unit is working with faculty and staff to “Tell the Practice Story” through news articles, podcasts, social media, etc.