Dania Ermentrout

Dania is from Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her B.S. in Biological Anthropology and Anatomy from Duke University and Master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Health from UNC-Chapel Hill. Dania began her career as a researcher at the World Health Organization, Duke University, and UNC-Chapel Hill, and she served on the faculty of the UNC School of Social Work until 2014. Since then, she has worked as a CAP/C case manager, provided public health consultative services, and taught as a co-instructor in an education course on children with exceptional needs. She serves on several local and statewide boards, and she regularly participates in panels, task forces, and speaking engagements on disability services, disability advocacy, and the impact of disability on families. Dania is the main caregiver for her medically fragile daughter, who was diagnosed with a rare, progressive genetic disease requiring maximum support in all ADLs, 24/7 care, and frequent interaction with the medical system. As a result of her daughter’s diagnosis and subsequent experiences in education and healthcare spaces, she realized that advocacy was the key to her family’s (and greater disability community’s) health and sanity and started rolling up her sleeves. Dania resides in Greensboro, along with her husband, Dan, and their three children and beloved pets.