Community Health & Wellness Institute

The Community Health and Wellness Institute at UNC Pembroke is focused on improving lives across southeastern North Carolina. From building a stronger, more diverse healthcare workforce to expanding access to care through partnerships, education and hands-on experiences, we’re leading efforts that make a real difference. Whether you're a future health professional, researcher or community advocate, you'll find opportunities here to grow your impact and help close the gap on health disparities.

UNCP clock tower

The Eight Priorities

The Institute supports partnerships leading to social change that address the entrenched drivers of poor health. While collaborating with numerous community partners, the Institute focuses on and implements its eight priorities.

Priority 1

Focused on working with community partners to improve health in addressing several of the Healthy NC 2030 selected health indicators while improving the health and well-being of families and communities.
Nursing students provide vision checks during Sports Empowerment Day at UNC Pembroke.

Priority 2

The Makerspace was intended to serve as the Health Sciences Center for Innovation and Creativity. Funding was re-directed towards additional supplies and equipment for the two mobile health units, serving as an innovative laboratory, clinical, and educational space to meet the health care needs of rural and underserved communities.

UNC Pembroke nursing students and faculty working out of a mobile unit to provide COVID vaccinations to teachers and staff at a local school.

Priority 3

UNCP worked with Health Career Connection (HCC), a national non-profit program that connects health sectors with talented and diverse future health professionals and leaders, especially those from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds to choose and pursue healthcare and public health careers.
Nursing students practicing during an IV therapy simulation lab at UNC Pembroke.

Priority 4

In collaboration with the Public Schools of Robeson County, Robeson Community College and the Lumbee Tribe of NC, UNCP’s Community and Civic Engagement (CCE) Office developed a volunteer-based life skills development curriculum and implemented in schools and community-based youth agencies.
UNCP students working with public school youth for a service learning class.

Priority 5

Speakers Series focuses on developing and implementing a speaker series about inter-professional education featuring nationally recognized experts in team-based care, technology and health care, and the social determinants of health culminating in an annual symposium.
Photos of three speakers in the College of Health Sciences speaker series: Chastity Hedgepeth, Anthonia Oladeji and Christopher Gaskins.

Priority 6

Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that incorporates meaningful service into course curriculum to enhance student learning and community engagement. Faculty/staff of CCE and the CHS developed service-learning opportunities, with strategies to include identifying and supporting a CHS faculty fellow and other faculty in service-learning.
UNC Pembroke students providing guidance to high school students on college readiness during a service learning project.

Priority 7

The Taley and Jordan Hunt Resource Center is UNCP’s on-campus food pantry and professional clothing closet, open to students, faculty, staff, and community. The Center offers educational workshops in collaboration with academic service-learning courses to inform the public about basic life skills topics and identifying and leveraging community resources. CHS efforts were assisting with expansion and support of the Center.
Taley and Jordan Hunt standing next to the sign with their daughter at the renaming ceremony for the Jordan and Taley Hunt Resource Center.

Priority 8

Aimed to address mental health disparities in Robeson County through continued coalition development, community engagement, completion of a mental health service gap analysis and financial sustainability. The CHS focused on continuing coalition building with organizations that helped address and respond to gaps in service and support ongoing mental health concerns including the high rates of substance misuse in the county. Efforts were made to assist existing programs and promote prevention and education and awareness measures.
Counselor seated opposite a youth in an office at UNC Pembroke.

Priority 1

Focused on working with community partners to improve health in addressing several of the Healthy NC 2030 selected health indicators while improving the health and well-being of families and communities.
Nursing students provide vision checks during Sports Empowerment Day at UNC Pembroke.

Priority 2

The Makerspace was intended to serve as the Health Sciences Center for Innovation and Creativity. Funding was re-directed towards additional supplies and equipment for the two mobile health units, serving as an innovative laboratory, clinical, and educational space to meet the health care needs of rural and underserved communities.

UNC Pembroke nursing students and faculty working out of a mobile unit to provide COVID vaccinations to teachers and staff at a local school.

Priority 3

UNCP worked with Health Career Connection (HCC), a national non-profit program that connects health sectors with talented and diverse future health professionals and leaders, especially those from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds to choose and pursue healthcare and public health careers.
Nursing students practicing during an IV therapy simulation lab at UNC Pembroke.

Priority 4

In collaboration with the Public Schools of Robeson County, Robeson Community College and the Lumbee Tribe of NC, UNCP’s Community and Civic Engagement (CCE) Office developed a volunteer-based life skills development curriculum and implemented in schools and community-based youth agencies.
UNCP students working with public school youth for a service learning class.

Priority 5

Speakers Series focuses on developing and implementing a speaker series about inter-professional education featuring nationally recognized experts in team-based care, technology and health care, and the social determinants of health culminating in an annual symposium.
Photos of three speakers in the College of Health Sciences speaker series: Chastity Hedgepeth, Anthonia Oladeji and Christopher Gaskins.

Priority 6

Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that incorporates meaningful service into course curriculum to enhance student learning and community engagement. Faculty/staff of CCE and the CHS developed service-learning opportunities, with strategies to include identifying and supporting a CHS faculty fellow and other faculty in service-learning.
UNC Pembroke students providing guidance to high school students on college readiness during a service learning project.

Priority 7

The Taley and Jordan Hunt Resource Center is UNCP’s on-campus food pantry and professional clothing closet, open to students, faculty, staff, and community. The Center offers educational workshops in collaboration with academic service-learning courses to inform the public about basic life skills topics and identifying and leveraging community resources. CHS efforts were assisting with expansion and support of the Center.
Taley and Jordan Hunt standing next to the sign with their daughter at the renaming ceremony for the Jordan and Taley Hunt Resource Center.

Priority 8

Aimed to address mental health disparities in Robeson County through continued coalition development, community engagement, completion of a mental health service gap analysis and financial sustainability. The CHS focused on continuing coalition building with organizations that helped address and respond to gaps in service and support ongoing mental health concerns including the high rates of substance misuse in the county. Efforts were made to assist existing programs and promote prevention and education and awareness measures.
Counselor seated opposite a youth in an office at UNC Pembroke.

Meet Our Faculty

Jacqueline Davis, headshot

Jacqueline Davis

Director of Community Health and Wellness


910.775.4786
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