Academic and Training Program Hub

The Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes (CSAV), on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, operates out of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. The Center is a training and outreach program founded by Robert W. Decker. CSAV's mission is to provide information on volcanic and natural hazards that occur in Hawaiʻi and worldwide. CSAV has been operating since 1989, and is a cooperative program of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM).

The Institute for Disaster Management (IDM) is a nonprofit institution within the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia. Our team is composed of disaster management professionals with a diverse set of educational and practical backgrounds. Our multidisciplinary approach, robust training and coordination, and customized, adaptable planning provide comprehensive, effective disaster management for all.Natural, technological, and human-made disasters occur more frequently and impact more people than is often realized. Proactive preparedness and mitigation at local, state, and national levels offer the greatest opportunity to save lives and infrastructure in response and recovery. With this in mind, IDM offers the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities required to take action prior to and following a disaster.IDM teaches in-person disaster management (DMAN) courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, offering one of the only Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees with a specific concentration in disaster management. IDM also offers two graduate certificates, a Graduate Certificate in Disaster Management and a Graduate Certificate in Crisis, Risk, and Disaster Communication. For UGA undergraduate students looking to gain a foundational knowledge in disaster management, we offer an undergraduate minor that pairs well with any major. We also offer a disaster management concentration at the doctoral level, with a PhD in Health Services Research and Policy.IDM has a substantial geographic reach and influence, partnering with organizations in Georgia, the United States, and around the globe. IDM works in tandem with communities, government agencies, businesses, nonprofits, and others. Together we develop, implement, and deliver customized disaster education, training, planning, consulting, and support. This engaged outreach coupled with culturally competent curriculum and training qualifies IDM to provide expert disaster services to organizations across the State of Georgia, the United States, and the globe.

The Georgia Initiative for Climate & Society is a network of UGA scientists and experts who have joined together to understand the changing climate on a global and local scale and to develop strategies, solutions, information, and tools that address the climate. GICS hosts periodic lectures and offers many resources for students, educators, and the general public.

The Severe Storms Research Center (SSRC) was established in 1999 at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) after a task force formed by Georgia’s governor recommended creating an organization to coordinate the state’s severe weather forecasting, with funding from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the State of Georgia. SSRC is a focal point for severe storm research in Georgia.

Emory University's Center for Humanitarian Emergencies is committed to building the global capacity of trained and skilled emergency responders. As part of our ongoing programming, CHE offers training to a diverse audience base and in increasingly diverse platforms.The Center for Humanitarian Emergencies at Emory is a collaboration between faculty and staff, students, fellows, and alumni to build global response capacity.As experienced humanitarian emergency response trainers, researchers and program implementers, Faculty and Staff guide students toward effective careers in the humanitarian field.Students explore emergency-related topics of infectious disease, nutrition, reproductive health, and WASH. They train in epidemiology, nursing, and program management.

The Emory Climate Research Initiative (ECRI) was established by the Provost’s Office in October of 2022 with the goal of fostering an interdisciplinary academic community at Emory University to research and educate on climate change. The core faculty leadership team is comprised of representatives from each school within Emory (Public Health, Theology, Law, Medicine, College of Arts and Sciences, Oxford College, Nursing, and Business). In the coming years, the initiative will seek to expand faculty involvement in climate-related research, teaching and action, while collaborating with other Emory teams working on sustainability and climate issues.ECRI aims to establish the university as a national leader in climate change scholarship, solutions, and impact while serving as a regional anchor institution for our shared response to climate change.ECRI seeks to support the work of researchers working to understand key climate drivers that will harm the environment, human health and wellbeing, and widen the gap in environmental and social justice.Our efforts will generate innovative mitigation and adaption solutions to offset the impacts of climate change, including addressing sustainability measures and community resilience in the Southeastern U.S.

The Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) is charged to serve as the center for Emory’s enterprise-wide planning for and coordinated response to natural and human-caused catastrophic events affecting Emory and the broader community.The objectives of the CEPAR team are to:Bridge the operational, educational, and research activities of the Emory enterprise relevant to catastrophic event prevention, protection, response, mitigation, and recovery.Coordinate Emory's resources to ensure an orchestrated response to emergencies.Craft novel multidisciplinary solutions for the mitigation of threatsRepresent the Emory enterprise to communicate and coordinate responses with local, state, and federal agencies.Attract extramural funding for emergency preparedness activities and research.

The Rollins School of Public Health in partnership with CDC's Emergency Response and Recovery Branch offers a Graduate Certificate in Humanitarian Emergencies. The certificate combines the teaching and research strength of Emory University with the applied technical skills of the CDC's Emergency Response and Recovery Branch. The Certificate Program is available to qualified Rollins School of Public Health Students and MPH dual degree students. However, students from other Emory graduate health schools may participate in CHE certificate classes on a case-by-case basis.This is a rigorous and competitive certificate program ideal for students who:- Want to work overseas in emergency and post emergency settings as their career.- Have international development and/or relevant field experience in resource poor settings.- Are committed to building practical field epidemiological methods skills for resource poor settings.