Press Release

CDC Awards $13 Million for Preparedness and Response Learning Centers

Funding to maintain and develop public health responders as part of national security

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $13 million to 14 accredited schools of public health to establish Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Centers (PERLC) to enhance public health training and workforce.

The learning centers will serve in a national capacity for preparedness and response training and education needs of the U.S. public health workforce. The learning centers provide unique workforce development needs by offering assistance to nearby state, local, and tribal public health authorities.

"A prepared and ready workforce is the cornerstone for an effective public health response," said Dr. Ali S. Khan, director, CDC's Office for Public Health Preparedness and Response.

Schools of public health to be funded at $937,657 are:

• University of Alabama, Birmingham
• University of Arizona, Tucson
• University of South Florida, Tampa
• University of Iowa, Iowa City
• University of Illinois, Chicago
• Harvard University, Boston, MA
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg, Baltimore, MD
• University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
• University at Albany SUNY, NY
• Columbia University, New York
• University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Texas A&M, College Station
• University of Washington, Seattle

For more information about the PERLC program visit http://ophpr.cdc.gov/LO/default.asp

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES