Read about the PHAST trip to the Gulf Coast in Findings

PHAST provides field experiences in public health practice for students.

PHAST actively assists local and state health departments in meeting the demands of certain public health events, disasters and investigations. For example, PHAST students:

• Worked with Washtenaw County Public Health Department on an emergency preparedness drill focused on running a flu clinic and administering vaccines.
• Assisted University Health Service with administering a survey at home football games to assess effectiveness of a social marketing campaign related to safe alcohol use.
• Worked with the Barry-Eaton District Health Department and the Michigan Department of Community Health on a food borne outbreak investigation.
• Assisted the Genesee County Health Department with an anthrax exposure exercise.
• Worked with the Wayne County Airport Authority on an aircraft disaster and preparedness training exercise.

In addition to local deployments, PHAST members may be eligible for a week-long field experience.
 
February 28-March 6, 2010: South Texas to explore border health issues. 
May 2010: Mississippi to conduct field interviews.

Click here for more information and eligibility for the 2009-2010 PHAST trips

Previous Week-long Deployments
PHAST Spring Break Trip
PHAST has deployed teams of students to participate in public health field experiences during the week of spring break. Previous trips include:

• 2009: 20 students participated in projects in the Dominican Republic.
• 2009: 12 students worked at the Tianjin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in China.
• 2008: 30 students worked at the Tianjin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in China. Read their blog.
• 2007: 26 students continued hurricane recovery work in New Orleans, LA and Biloxi, MS
• 2006: 40 PHAST students assisted with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in Biloxi, MS, Bogalusa, LA, Baton Rouge, LA, and New Orleans, LA. Read their blog.

Other Extended Deployments

• 2009: In partnership with Delta State University, Southeastern Louisiana University and Visions of Hope, 9 students participated in a community-based research project conducting field surveys in Biloxi and Gulfport, MS for post-hurricane Katrina research.  This represented the fourth trip to the Gulf Coast since hurricane Katrina for PHAST. 

Eligibility

To participate in PHAST you must:

1. Be a registered SPH student in good academic standing.
2. Attended the October 3, 2009 training.
   
3. Complete the required trainings (see below).

Online Training

Required:

• IS-100 Introduction to Incident Command System
• University of Michigan HIPAA training
• University of Michigan PEERRS training-2 modules:

1. Foundations of Good Research Practice
2. Human Research- Social and Behavioral Sciences

Faculty Advisors

Matthew L. Boulton, MD, MPH

Associate Professor of Epidemiology

Associate Dean for Practice

JoLynn P. Montgomery, MPH, PhD

Research Investigator, Department of Epidemiology

Director, Michigan Center for Public Health Preparedness

 

PHAST Coordinator

Dana Thomas, MPH

University of Michigan School of Public Health

Office of Public Health Practice
1415 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

(734) 763-9234

phast@umich.edu

HEALTH DEPARTMENTS:
To request the help of PHAST students, complete a PHAST Deployment Application and email to phast@umich.edu or call (734) 763-9234 and have the information requested on this form ready to provide to the PHAST Coordinator.

Deployment requests during UM fall and winter semesters (September through April) tend to get the best response from students. PHAST may be unable to respond to requests during the summer months.

Read about the 2008 PHAST trip to China.

PHAST RESPONSE:
PHAST students volunteered in the Gulf Coast to assist in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts during Spring Break 2006 and 2007. Read the 2006 blog.