Generate, Educate, Activate, Respond (GEAR) Groups are peer-to-peer learning events for state, territorial, and tribal chronic disease professionals. Join the next GEAR Group to expand your knowledge, get ideas for your public health work, develop leadership skills, and network with your peers.
Generate, Educate, Activate, Respond (GEAR) Groups are topic-based virtual communities of practice that use an all teach, all learn approach to professional development. This approach encourages participants to share their own knowledge and get new ideas from other participants.
Whether your work is focused on diabetes, nutrition, brain health, or cancer, GEAR Groups are a great way to advance your work. GEAR Groups provide participants with dedicated time to focus on a project of their choice.
Participants benefit from peer networking, cross-functional learning, and expert advice. Over the course of four weeks, you will get feedback from a captive audience and share your knowledge with other participants. Each Group includes didactic presentations that will help you refine your approach to your work.
Rural Health GEAR Group
The 2025 Rural Health Transformation Program is a federal investment in rural health to strengthen access to care and improve health outcomes. This GEAR Group will explore innovative strategies to improve chronic disease outcomes in rural populations especially in the context of limited resources, data limitations, hospital/EMS closures, and increasing social needs. Participatory virtual sessions will be facilitated over four consecutive weeks with one 90-minute session each week.
Group Meetings: May 2026
Registration: Open
Check back for fall Groups.
Participants prepare for their first GEAR Group meeting by completing a questionnaire about their own work. During Group meetings, participants will present their questionnaire, receive feedback from other participants, and provide feedback on their peers’ work. These group discussions require pre-meeting work and active participation.
Each Group is led by two NACDD representatives who help participants explore important chronic disease topics. Up to ten people can participate in a GEAR Group. Participants will meet four times: one 90-minute meeting per week for four weeks.
New Groups are offered throughout the year. Past GRAR Groups have explored topics like: