Overview
This short course teaches essential leadership skills for decision-making in complex, rapidly changing environments, such as disasters and pandemics.
Meet and learn from leaders in the fields of Health, Emergency Management, Defence, Community Development and Recovery and Media Crisis Management.

Evolve with QUTeX
Find out about the latest in Disaster Management research and how to practically apply this knowledge in local, national and international contexts. This is your opportunity to ask questions of experts and broaden your understanding of what makes an effective leader, and subsequently a resilient organisation, in a disaster or pandemic situation.
Who should participate?
This course is ideal for people who are likely to be responsible for designing disaster response arrangements and instructing others in those arrangements. On completion, participants will have the tools and understanding required to manage health, government, or community organisations to rebound and respond following adverse events. Leadership in Disaster Management is one of four courses that make up the Graduate Certificate in Disaster Management qualification.

Your expert facilitator Dr Joanne Durham
Dr Jo Durham has worked in humanitarian aid and development in Laos, Cambodia, South Sudan Lebanon with organisations such as UNICEF, UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Mine Action Services (UNMAS) and international NGOs. Her role in these organisations was to help people recover from conflict and other disasters. The focus of her teaching is to link practice with theory to prepare graduates for the different careers within the field, and equip the next generation of practitioners with the skills they will need to continue this necessary work.
Jo’s expertise includes: reducing health inequities and vulnerability to disasters, social determinants of health and migration, conflict epidemiology and programme evaluation.
Core concepts
Learn how to:
- apply systems thinking in a disaster, and hear how experts in the field have done this in practice
- give media briefings, respond to journalists’ questions and practice these skills
- apply leadership theories in complex decision-making and reflect on your own leadership style/preferences
- analyse case studies of responses to cascading events in recent times, such as bushfires, covid-19 and the on-going threat of climate change.
Details
Where and when
Flexible deadlines for the optional assessment can be negotiated with the Course Convenor.
2021 program dates to be confirmed, to register your interest and be kept up-to-date please email qutex@qut.edu.au.
Certification
If you undertake and complete the Workshop and Assessment course, you'll receive a Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of the assessment. This can be used to apply for advanced standing in a related award course.
Cost
Workshop Only
Registration type | Investment |
---|---|
Earybird registration (closes TBC) | $2,008.60 (GST included) |
Standard registration | $2,231.77 (GST included) |
QUT Staff / Alumni registration | $1,673.83 (GST included) |
Australasian College of Health Service Managers (ACHSM) Members | $1,897.01 (GST included) |
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Workshop and Assessment
Registration type | Investment |
---|---|
Earlybird registration (closes TBC) | $2,510.75 (GST included) |
Standard registration | $2,789.72 (GST included) |
QUT Staff / Alumni registration | $2,092.29 (GST included) |
Australasian College of Health Service Managers (ACHSM) Members | $2,371.26 (GST included) |
More details
Successful completion of the assessment module offers the opportunity to receive credit (advanced standing) towards a relevant postgraduate qualification.
This program is shared by postgraduate students in Health, and may involve some collaboration between professional development participants and postgraduate students.