The School of Public Health and the College of Business Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago are partners in an exciting online program specializing in emergency management and business continuity planning. Emergency management is the process by which communities manage hazards and the effects of disasters. This process involves planning for the mitigation of the impacts of disasters, preparedness, response and recovery. Evidence of the growing importance of the field of emergency management and its close ties to public health can, unfortunately, be found in the grim stories of disasters from Katrina to 9/11. The response to such disasters must involve those responsible for emergency plan development as well as public health professionals. Truly effective responses must also involve affected corporate sectors. The need to develop corporate responses has given rise to the field of business continuity planning. Business continuity planning is a set of procedures which will allow an organization to resume interrupted critical services or functions after a disaster. The field represents a critical component of business risk management.

Public health professionals, emergency managers and business continuity planners are three distinct communities that have only recently had to start working together. All three communities and their professionals, respectively, acknowledge a gap in communication, strategic preparedness planning and response and coordination. The online Emergency Management and Continuity Planning (EMCP) Certificate Program, taught by public health and business school faculty members, Argonne National Laboratory staff working on emergency management federal programs, as well as business continuity planners bridges this gap.

Program Benefits
The Emergency Management and Continuity Planning (EMCP) Certificate Program provides participants with interdisciplinary training with an emphasis on "real" world experience. The courses that comprise the certificate are designed and presented by leading experts in the field in order to help individuals develop and refine their emergency management and continuity planning skills. Participants of the certificate will be able to:

• Analyze risk and vulnerabilities due to natural or man made disasters using widely accepted hazard and risk assessment methodologies.
• Apply emerging Federal guidelines such as the National Incident Management System, Integrated Command Systems and Target Capabilities to the development of emergency management plans.
• Formulate strategic plans related to developing the necessary remedies in a municipal or corporate setting to respond to disasters and implement recovery programs.
• Leverage, understand and evaluate technological and administrative needs with regard to planning and implementing emergency response and recovery plans.
• Develop operational plans to respond to public health emergencies, natural disasters and terrorist events.

Who Should Apply?
The Emergency Management and Continuity Planning (EMCP) Certificate Program is designed for:

• Private and public sector managers responsible for emergency management and continuity planning
• Public health and medical professionals who wish to upgrade their skills
• Professionals who wish to enhance their educational profiles
• Private and public sector risk managers