HERT
The Humanitarian Emergencies Research Team (HERT) was founded in 2013 and aims to provide students with an opportunity to collaborate with public health professionals and contribute to research projects related to Complex Humanitarian Emergencies (CHEs). HERT is sponsored by the CDC’s Emergency Response and Recovery Branch (ERRB) and Emory University through the Center for Humanitarian Emergencies (CHE).
The group includes students from all RSPH departments with an interest in CHEs. No prior experience necessary. Members are selected through a competitive application process.
Current Projects
- Writing bi-weekly global emergency briefs for CDC ERRB and humanitarian workers
- Visualizing locations of global emergencies, with bi-weekly updates for nascent emergencies
- Supporting special events including:
- Co-sponsoring the France-Atlanta Humanitarian Forum in collaboration with Emory University's Center for Humanitarian Emergencies and the Consulate General of France in Atlanta
- Forming humanitarian emergency trainings, designed to introduce new students to humanitarian emergencies research
- Arranging and executing annual emergency preparedness and response networking event, in collaboration with partner students organizations
- Organizing volunteer events to engage Emory University with refugee and emergency-affected populations
Past Projects
- Extracted data on maternal and child health indicators in emergencies, prepared a report for utilization by the Inter-Agency Working Group On Reproductive Health in Crises (IAWG)
- Systematically reviewed information on Ebola survivors for CDC International Task Force Ebola Survivor Services
- Analyzed open-source CHE databases utilized by emergency responders in CDC ERRB
- Developed course materials for CHE undergraduate course
- Analyzed facility assessment data from Haiti maternal and child health surveillance program
- Reviewed CHE certificate elective requirements and provided recommendations