About Us

About the International Health Section

The International Health Section was founded in 1976 to provide leadership and a focus on global public health issues within the American Public Health Association (APHA). It is governed by an elected leadership that directs the Section’s involvement in global health issues through APHA activities including: development of APHA’s Annual Meeting program; drafting relevant resolutions for support by APHA; participation on various APHA Boards and Councils; and other related activities. You can read more about the Section’s history here.

The Section is an active community of global health professionals engaged in networking, policy development, and sharing scientific knowledge and experience with peers as well as increasingly in advocacy and public education. We have built relationships with other sections to promote global health throughout APHA.

The International Health Section’s members are a broad range of global health professionals from students to professors, interns to program directors, and authorities on many aspects of global health.

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Section Officers (elected to two-year terms)

• Chair: Carol Dabbs (2024)
• Chair-Elect: Amy Hagopian (2024)
• Immediate Past Chair: Mini Murthy (2022)
• Secretary: Clara Harb (2025)
• Secretary-Elect: Mark Strand (2025)
• Treasurer: Paul Freeman (2022)

Section Councilors (elected to three-year terms)

• Yara Asi (2024)
• Joshua Osowiecki (2024)
• Preshit Ambade (2025)
• Mulugeta Gebregziabher (2025)
• Jessica Keralis (2026)
• Jamie Zigterman (2026)

Governing Councilors (elected to two-year terms)

• Rania Milleron (2024)
• Jirair Ratevosian (2024)
• Mirna P. Amaya (2024)
• Cheryl Conner (2024)
• Jean Armas (2025)
• Emily Maistrellis (2025)

Student Liaison (elected to a one-year term)

• Sabrina Richards (2024)

IH Section leadership meet each year in business meetings at the APHA Annual Meeting.

Members of the IH Section leadership hold conference calls every other month to discuss Section business and address any pertinent issues. If you would like to raise a question, suggestion, or concern, please contact a member of leadership listed above and ask him or her to raise it during one of the calls.

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Committees

• Awards: Henry Perry, Chair
  The Awards committee selects candidates to receive the Section’s annual awards: its Lifetime Achievement Award, its Mid-Career Award, the Gordon-Wyon Award, and the Distinguished Section Service Award.
• Communications: Jean Armas, Chair; Victoria Sevilla, Co-Chair; Eunice Mustapha, Co-Chair
  The Communications committee manages and produces content for the Section’s communications platforms, including the e-mail listserv, the social media channels, and the IH Blog.
• Membership: Jessica Keralis, Chair
  The Membership committee tracks and analyzes Section membership data to inform the Section’s strategic initiatives and activities.
• Mentoring: Brianne Riggin-Pathak, Chair
  The Mentoring committee manages the Section’s mentoring program, which pairs Section members as mentors and mentees for networking and professional development.
• Nominations: Sarah Shannon, Chair
  The Nominations committees identifies talented and enthusiastic individuals to run for the Section’s elected positions.
• Policy and Advocacy: James Pfeiffer and Omid Bagheri, Co-Chairs
  The A/P committee promotes global health within APHA’s advocacy efforts and conducts global health outreach to policy makers.
• Program: Julia Robinson, Chair; Lanice Williams, Co-Chair; Sana Malik, Co-Chair
  The Program committee manages the Section’s Annual Meeting program, including the review and selection of abstracts for scientific sessions and business meetings.
• Students: Isaac Ayereka and Hannah Rayel, Co-Chairs
  The Student committee works with the Section’s other committees and working groups to increase student involvement in order to provide learning and professional development opportunities.
• Historian: Ray Martin

Working Groups

• Climate Change and Health: Rose Schneider, Chair; Glenda Young, Co-Chair
• Community-Based Primary Health Care:  Will Story, Chair; Andrew Herrera, Co-Chair
• Global Maternal and Child Health Network: Evelyn Cherow
• Palestinian Health Justice: Cindy Sousa, Yara Asi, and Rachel Rubin, Co-Chairs
• Systems Sciences for Health Systems Strengthening: Mirna Amaya and Jamie Zigterman; Co-Chairs
• Abortion and Post-Abortion Care (Gag Rule Focus): Emily Maistrellis, IH Lead

Section working groups serve as a focal point for members interested in a particular activity, technical area, or advocacy issue. Working groups share information and resources, hold conference calls and workshops, spearhead advocacy initiatives, and plan scientific sessions on their issue of focus at the Annual Meeting.

APHA-Wide Responsibilities

• Global Health Manager (APHA Staff): Vina Hulamm
• AJPH Editorial Board: Mark Strand and Amy Hagopian
• Action Board: Vacant
• Science Board: Kevin Sykes
• Executive Board: Gopal Sankaran
• Human Rights Forum Liaison: Spshelle Rutledge
• Trade and Health Forum Liaison: Mary Anne Mercer
• Breastfeeding Forum Liaison: Jennifer Yourkavitch
• Climate Change Inter-sectional Topic Committee: Rose Schneider
• Sexual Reproductive Health Liason: Sarah Shannon
• Maternal Child Health Liaison: Ify Udo
• Oral Health: Sujay Mehta
• Peace Caucus: Anlan Cheney and Amy Hagopian

These positions are appointed by the Section Chair and serve as a link between the Section and other components or bodies within APHA to promote collaboration.

Last updated: 11 March 2024
You may also access this list as a Google Docs spreadsheet here.