Beginning with the spring semester of 2001, a course designed to prepare future public health leaders for potential bioterrorism events has been offered by the University of Connecticut Graduate Program in Public Health. Entitled "The Public Health Response to Bioterrorism," this popular course was one of the few developed by academic programs in the United States prior to the attack of September 11, 2001. The course utilizes innovative teaching methods and presentations by distinguished guest speakers to educate public health personnel, public health and medical students, and physicians and nurses about the complex issues involved in the public health response to bioterrorism. The instructional methods and curriculum can serve as prototypes for similar efforts.