The Center for Health & Humanitarian Systems (CHHS) at Georgia Tech offers a professional certificate program designed for practitioners in non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government, industry, and military who are active participants in humanitarian operations including disaster response, long term development and public health operations.
The courses are developed for practitioners seeking to build skills to improve decision making in preparedness, response operations planning, and system design. Courses include many interactive components, such as case studies and games, which help professionals in the health and humanitarian sectors to link the challenges and decision-making tradeoffs they face in practice with the systematic approaches, tools, and techniques presented.
The below courses make up the 3-module Health and Humanitarian Supply Chain Management Certificate:
- Pre-planning Strategy for Health and Humanitarian Organizations- MAY 15-16
- Tactical Decision Making in Public Health & Humanitarian Response- MAY 17-18
- Systems Operations in Health and Humanitarian Response- MAY 19-20
The 2016 class was comprised of a diverse group of over 30 practitioners with extensive experience in the global health and humanitarian sectors, based in 20 different countries, who have worked in a combined 80+ countries throughout their careers, adding to the valuable networking and experience sharing that is a highlight of the in-person program. Participants learned critical skills in disaster response planning and forecasting as well as tools for strategic and tactical decision making.
Participant feedback:
The Systems Dynamics framework was incredibly well presented, and has given me not only a new career interest, but also a tool with which to analyze and understand complex problems, including both the problems faced by humanitarian organizations and the problems they create.
Wendi McAfee, Program Coordinator for the Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center at the Task Force for Global Health
The course really enlightened me in many aspects of the humanitarian supply chain process. The forecasting and decision making tools will provide me with a lot of opportunities to optimize both processes and supply chains.
Sanne Wijnhorst, Procurement Specialist for Oxfam Novib (Netherlands)
The relevance of the decision support tools helped me to make use of inventory analysis, using a more mathematical approach while planning and building strategies.
Rachel Gordon-Roberts, Logistics Coordinator, Emergency and Humanitarian Assistance from CARE USA
The diverse cohort provides examples and perspectives to support and complete the topics covered in lectures; conversations outside lectures during breaks and lunch were a great way for us to learn from each other and absorb. Working in groups on class projects/games was a great way to learn as well.
Daniel Ngongo, Assistant Logistics Officer with the Management Science for Health (MSH/USAID) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
TO REGISTER: click on the link to the Pre-Planning Strategy course, and register for each of the three courses (adding each to your virtual cart), and then the certificate tuition fee will be generated at the end.
SCHOLARSHIP support for practitioners from NGOs and developing countries is made available through the generosity of The UPS Foundation, Andrea Laliberte, and Richard E. and Charlene O. Zalesky. For eligibility requirements and to apply online for a scholarship to attend the training, please visit http://hhls.scl.gatech.edu.