ASTHO welcomes you to Key Section One of the Directors of Public Health Preparedness (DPHP) Orientation Program. This course is intended for new and early (i.e., one-to-three years of experience) state and territorial health agency directors of public health preparedness. As a director of public health preparedness, you play a critical role in safeguarding your jurisdiction’s health and well-being in times of crisis. Whether the challenge at hand is a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, or an act of terrorism, your job is to ensure that your jurisdiction is prepared to respond effectively and efficiently.

This course will provide you with the foundational knowledge and skills needed to carry out your responsibilities as a public health preparedness director. The course will cover a wide range of topics, including relevant policies and programs; partnerships; planning and response basics; key operational practices; and available tools and resources.

By the end of this course, you will have a foundational understanding of the key principles and practices of public health preparedness, as well as the skills to lead your agency’s efforts to protect the health and safety of its citizens.

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The course consists of four (4) Key Sections. These are:

1. Policy (you are here!)
2. Programs
3. Operations
4. Meta-leadership

Successful completion of each key section is required to move onto the next key section. Completion consists of review of the curriculum and a minimum score of 80% on each knowledge check. Upon successful completion, the next section will be added to your course list. You may access it at that time from your student dashboard or the Courses landing page.

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Choose the first lesson to begin.

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