Dear IH Section Members,
As we enter the final preparations for the 2023 APHA Annual Meeting, it is gradually becoming clear that we are almost back to the full-bore Annual Meetings of pre-pandemic times. But we’ve added the power of remote access by having several pre-meetings, like the COA/ISC Candidates Forum, the policy hearings, and a vibrant virtual program in the weeks preceding the in-person meeting in Atlanta, including the workshop offered by the IH Section Working Group on Community-based Primary Health Care. The latter was sold out almost two weeks in advance!
This year at the Annual Meeting, our approximately 1800-member section will have a full program of oral and poster scientific sessions presenting the 248 accepted abstracts. Our hearty thanks to Jamie Zigterman and Liz Healey, our Program Chairs for this excellent program—it was a feat of endurance and strength to create it!
In addition, we will have several IH Section meetings, as follow:
– an Open House on Sunday morning starting at 9 am,
– a Luncheon at 12:30 pm on Monday. A few tickets are still available through your registration for the AM at $62; sales close on 11/6. Those without a ticket may sit in the back to listen to the speech, scheduled to start about 1 pm.
– several IH committees and working groups are holding open meetings –some at 6:30 pm on Monday, and others at 12:30 pm on Tuesday, all listed in the program.
– our Awards Reception will be on Tuesday evening starting at 6:30 pm.
We hope to see you at one or more of these IH events as well as at our scientific sessions.
As this program year draws to a close, I want to acknowledge and thank the leadership of the IH Section, without whose initiative and support we would not have an IH Section which is active year round, and which supports our strong Annual Meeting program.
– Our elected leaders include the Immediate Past Chair, Chair-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, Secretary-Elect, Student Assembly Liaison, 6 Section Councillors, and 6 Governing
Councillors.
– We have 8 IH Committees (Awards, Communications, Membership, Mentorship, Nominations, Policy and Advocacy, Program, and Students) and 6 IH Working Groups Climate Change, Community-based Primary Health Care, Global MCH Network, Health Systems Strengthening, International Abortion, and Palestine Health Justice), each of which is supported by dedicated and creative volunteer international public health professional members and Chairs or Co-Chairs.
Committees and Working Groups are open to all IH members—let me know which group you’d like an introduction to!
I’d like to give a shout out to our APHA staff liaison to the IH Section, Vina Hulaam, who has provided substantial support which moved our programming forward, and to our Section Historian. And to our incoming elected officers: Section Councillors Jessica Keralis and Jamie Zigterman, Governing Councillors Jean Armas and Emily Maistrellis, and Secretary-Elect Mark Strand. (NB we will have a special election this fall for Student Assembly Liaison.)
Our thanks go also to our outgoing Secretary Jessica Keralis, outgoing Section Councillors Jean Armas and Rhoda Gordon, and outgoing Governing Councillors Kevin Sykes and Samer Jabbour. In addition, I want to thank the several IH members in APHA leadership positions for their ready advice and counsel to the section throughout this past year. These include a member of the Executive Board, Vice-Chair of the Science Board, incoming Chairs of the Student Assembly and of the Intersectional Council, 2 members of the AJPH Editorial Board, and a member of the Advisory Board to APHA’s Center for Climate, Health, and Equity.
I look forward to another fruitful year in the IH Section.
Sincerely,
Carol J. Dabbs, MPH
Chair, APHA IH Section
Email me at: ih.chair@apha.org
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