The attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and the subsequent anthrax mail contamination highlighted the need for preparedness training for the public health workforce. Addressing this need became the mission of the centers. More centers were rapidly funded and the amount of funding at all centers increased.

According to NC Center for Public Health Director Dr. Pia MacDonald, "While 9/11 was a defining moment in so many ways, the preparedness center was already in existence and North Carolina was heavily involved in public health preparedness and response with a lot of practice around hurricanes. Over the years, our focus has shifted more towards training the public health workforce around preparedness topics, technical assistance for emerging public health issues, and practice-based epidemiologic research."

Today the Center offers a variety of training resources for individuals and organizations:

• Certificate in Field Epidemiology
• Introduction to Communicable Disease Surveillance and Investigation course for communicable disease nurses in North Carolina
• Forensic epidemiology and public health emergency law
• Face-to-face, video, and online continuing education courses.

See www.sph.unc.edu/nccphp.