Managing in Turbulent Times: Emerging Leaders in Public Health

Alumni

Gilbert A. NickGilbert A. Nick, BA

Associate Director for Administration and Training
Harvard School of Public Health Center for Public Health Preparedness

 

Area of work: Bioterrorism/Preparedness/Public Health

Gilbert graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio with a Bachelors degree in Law and Society. In addition to his college experiences, Gilbert has been immersed in public health issues for about nine years, with an interest and focus on HIV/AIDS as well as public health preparedness/humanitarian crises. He worked as an HIV counselor, conducted bench research on HIV, and worked in a clinic coordinating Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trial Group (PACTG).

In Gilbert's most previous job, he was a program coordinator for an HIV/AIDS training program in Gaborone, Botswana. This experience, of course, afforded him the experience and opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge about HIV and other infectious diseases in Africa.

In Gilbert's current role, as Associate Director of the Center for Public Health Preparedness, he plays a key role in the establishment, direction and success of our training efforts around bioterrorism and in preparing the public health workforce in the event of a bioterrorist event in Massachusetts and Maine. To this end, he has also played an instrumental role in the organization and validation of his monitoring and evaluation system as well as curriculum development.

Personal Information:

My personal time away from working to improve health for all typically involves spending time with friends and family, world travel, cardio boxing, practicing yoga, listening to the jazz greats, cooking and reading.

What I would like to get out of this program:

My goal is to meet other minority practitioners in the practice of public health in order to share, learn and develop further from our diverse experiences and professional interests. I would also like to be engaged by the program in a way that broadens my understanding of management, human resources and fiscal issues as they relate to national issues in public health-marrying the business of health with the compassion for human service.