Coming up: 8th annual Conference on Health and Humanitarian Logistics (August 29-31, Atlanta, GA)

Registration for the 8th annual Conference on Health and Humanitarian Logistics is now live online here. If you have questions about registration, rates, or other information, you may also e-mail us at humlogconf [at] gatech [dot] edu.

The conference is hosted by the Georgia Tech Center for Health & Humanitarian Systems (CHHS) and co-organized by the INSEAD Humanitarian Research Group, the MIT Humanitarian Response Lab, and Northeastern University. The agenda features plenary panels and interactive workshops on a variety of topics related to supply chain management and logistics in global health and humanitarian response and development, as well as poster sessions on innovative research and ample opportunities for networking. Information on speakers, panel topics, health and humanitarian site visits will be available soon.

The conference will feature keynote addressesk from Principal Deputy Director of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Dr. Anne Schuchat, and from President and CEO of CARE USA, Michelle Nunn, on humanitarian emergencies, as well as plenary panels on the below topics:

  • Strengthening Public Health Systems
  • Supply Chain Complexities in Refugee Crisis Response
  • Designing Supply Chains for Health Emergencies
  • Sudden Onset Disasters: Matching Supply with Demand

If you would like to lead a break-out workshop at the conference, please submit an abstract online (up to 1-page, including the names and bios of all presenters) on the Conference website here before June 24, 2016. Private sector companies must include a co-presenter from a non-governmental organization (NGO), governmental partner, or other organization as a demonstration of collaboration.

There are no conference scholarships or financial aid. However, limited funds are available to support students presenting accepted posters at the conference. Support includes free conference registration and up to $250 in travel expenses for students traveling in the US and up to $500 for students traveling outside of the US. To be considered for financial support, attach a single PDF file containing the items listed on the website as part of your poster submission. Poster presenter pays registration fee up front and will be reimbursed after the conference.

2016 IH Section Awards Announced!

The following message is from Gopal Sankaran, chair of the Awards Committee. The other members of the Awards Committee are: Rose Schneider, Ray Martin, Omar Khan, Padmini Murthy, Curtiss Swezy, Malcolm Bryant, Elvira Beracochea, and Paul Freeman. The Committee encourages all to nominate a colleague or be willing to be nominated next year.


This year, we had a good pool of candidates for the various awards offered by our Section. The Awards Committee has selected the following colleagues active in international health to receive the awards for which they were nominated.

  • Carl Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health: Dr. Peter A. Berman
  • Mid-Career Achievement Award in International Health: Dr. Laura C. Parajon
  • Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice: Dr. Mizan Siddiqi
  • Distinguished Section Service Award: Dr. Padmini Murthy

Please join me in congratulating our colleagues whose outstanding accomplishments in international health are being recognized by our Section this year. On behalf of the Awards Committee, I thank the nominators for nominating such excellent candidates and to the nominees for graciously accepting their nomination. The awards will be presented to the recipients at the International Health Section Awards Reception and Social on Tuesday, November 1, 2016, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the 144th APHA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. You are cordially invited to participate in this event.

Students and young professionals: Please take our survey!

The following is a message from Theresa Majeski, Chair of the Global Health Connections Committee.


Hello IH Section members! If you call yourself a student or a young professional please take a moment to take our survey. The Global Health Connections Committee is trying to create new initiatives to help students and young professionals become more involved in the IH Section. But to do that effectively, we need some help from you all to get some ideas about your current involvement and ideas for increasing the involvement of students and young professionals. You can access the survey here, or paste the following link into your browser: http://goo.gl/forms/ocbKYZrJmCkIw0EE3.

Two Summer/Fall Internships with the Communications Committee

The IH Section’s Communications Committee is currently seeking two summer and/or fall interns! We are looking for two interns to post regularly to the IH Blog and the Section’s social media platforms, contribute to Global Health Communications Committee activities, and assist with the Global Health Jobs Analysis project. The position is unpaid, but it is remote and entirely web-based and thus can be combined with another opportunity. The weekly time commitment will be 15-20 hours a week distributed in any way that the intern can complete their duties.

The ideal candidate a self-starter who can initiate activities based on new ideas and complete projects with minimal supervision and guidance.

Qualifications: Must be a Student or Early Career Professional member of the American Public Health Association.

Not yet a member of APHA? Interested candidates may submit an application and, if selected, join before beginning the internship period. See https://www.apha.org/become-a-member/ for more information.

How to Apply: Interested candidates should e-mail a resume/CV and two writing samples to ihsection.communications@gmail.com. Please include the cover letter in the body of the e-mail.

2016 Call for Award Nominations: Recognizing our finest in International Health through the IH Section Awards

Note: The deadline for nominations has been extended to Monday, May 16th.


Each year, the International Health (IH) Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA) recognizes outstanding contributions of its members through its Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in International Health, its Mid-Career Award in International Health, the Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice, and the Distinguished Section Service Award. The Section is now seeking nominations for deserving candidates for these awards, to be presented at its Awards Ceremony at the APHA Annual Meeting in Denver, CO in November 2016.

The Carl Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health was created by the IH Section to honor the visionaries and leaders in APHA who have shaped the direction of International Health. The evaluation criteria for the Lifetime Achievement Award include

  • quality/creativity/innovativeness of the individual’s contributions to the field of International Health;
  • the individual’s contributions to the development of APHA or the IH Section;
  • application of the individual’s work to service delivery (as opposed to primarily theoretical value)
  • the individual’s contributions as a leader/visionary/role model;
  • the volunteerism/sacrifice associated with the individual’s contributions; and
  • membership in APHA (preferably with primary affiliation with the IH Section), a State affiliate, or a national public health association that is a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations.

No self-nomination is allowed.

Prior winners of the Carl Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health include: Jeanne Foster, Joe Wray, Carl Taylor, Milton Roemer, Warren and Gretchen Berggren, John Wyon, Derrick Jelliffe, Tim Baker, Cicely Williams, Bud Prince, Veronica Elliott, Moye Freymann, Dory Storms, Tom Hall, Samir Banoob, William Reinke, Michael Latham, William Foege, Clarence Pearson, Stanley Newman, Jack Bryant, Richard Morrow, Ray Martin, Miriam Labbok, Douglas Huber, and Henry B. Perry, III.

The Mid-Career Award in International Health is intended to recognize outstanding young professionals in the IH Section. The evaluation criteria for the Mid-Career Award include

  • a commitment to the promotion and development of primary health care in a cross-cultural setting over a period of 5-15 years (primary health care is meant here to encompass a broad array of public health issues, including HIV/AIDS prevention and environmental health);
  • demonstrated creativity in expanding the concepts pertinent to the practice of public health with an international focus; and
  • membership in APHA (preferably primary affiliation with the IH Section), a State affiliate, or a national public health association that is a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations.

No self-nomination is allowed.

Prior winners of the Mid-Career Award in International Health include Margaret Henning, Elvira Beracochea, Laura Altobelli, Matt Anderson, Padmini Murthy, Gopal Sankaran, Jean Capps, Tim Holtz, Kate Macintyre, Sarah Shannon, Adnan Hyder, Stephen Gloyd, Luis Tam, Marty Makinen, Colleen Conroy, Mary Ann Mercer, Irwin Shorr, Walter K. Patrick, Dory Storms, Clyde “Lanny” Smith and Theresa Shaver.

The Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice is intended to reward outstanding achievement in community-oriented public health epidemiology and practice. This award was established in 2006 by the IH Section. It is administered by the Community Based Primary Health Care Working Group. John Gordon and John Wyon were pioneers in this field, so encouraging and recognizing others in this field is one important way of honoring their memory. The evaluation criteria for this award include:

  • a central role in an outstanding achievement in community-oriented public health and practice;
  • demonstrated creativity in expanding the concepts pertinent to the practice of community-oriented public health with an international focus; and
  • membership in APHA or one of its affiliates (either a State affiliate or a national public health association that is a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations.

No self-nomination is allowed.

Previous winners of the Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice are Rajnikant Arole, Carl Taylor, Henry B. Perry, Bette Gebrian, Jaime Gofin, Warren and Gretchen Berggren, Tom Davis, Jr., Malcolm Bryant, Sandy Hoar, and William Robert Brieger.

In addition, the Distinguished Section Service Award is intended to honor outstanding service to the IH Section. Award criteria are

  • dedication to the IH Section mission and goals as demonstrated by continuing exceptional contribution to its activities;
  • serving on the Section elective positions or chairing its committees with remarkable or unusual effort and achievements;
  • distinguished achievement in the international health field with a remarkable career; and
  • excellence in leadership and strong ability for team work with peers in the IH Section and the APHA.

Current membership in APHA is essential.

Nomination Process
Award nominations should include (1) a detailed letter explaining why the individual nominated should receive the award, addressing the criteria for the specific award; and (2) a current curriculum vitae of the nominee.

Both documents (the nomination letter and the curriculum vitae) should be forwarded as e-files (Word or pdf). Only nominations with required documentation will be considered for the awards. Nominations should be submitted by email to Gopal Sankaran (gsankaran [at] wcupa [dot] edu). Please submit the required documents by Monday, May 2, 2016. Late submissions will not be reviewed.