Tag: APHA Annual Meeting

Annual Meeting, Day 3: Governing Council Action and Section Goals

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section, Guest Blog, Section Announcements

Apologies for the delay in posting this, but it has taken us all a little while to regroup after the Annual Meeting.

The major event every year on Tuesday of the Annual Meeting is the Governing Council session.  The IH section was, as always, active and vocal in this year’s session.  Nominations Committee Chair and Governing Councilor Amy Hagopian provides a great summary of this year’s session:

The governing council meetings this year were the usual mix of deadly dull and rivetingly interesting. On Saturday we had a lively candidates’ forum, hearing from the six candidates for executive board and the two candidates for chair-elect. The governing council is the electoral body for these positions (although we did vote on a proposal this year to allow the full APHA membership to vote for chair-elect….um, that failed). The candidates for these positions were very high quality this year, and it was hard to choose! Our section was very happy with the results of the election, which took place on Tuesday: Adewale Troutman for chair-elect; and 3 winners for executive board, Lisa Carlson, Durrell Fox and Paul Meissner.

Tuesday’s full-day governing council meeting opened with a riveting (not) discussion of detailed bylaws changes. We did vote on changes to the membership categories, which will favor members who join during their student years and transition into “new professionals.” We voted on the theme for the 2013 conference, and chose (by 54%): “Think Global, Act Local: Best Practices Around the World.”

We adopted 23 resolutions on a variety of policy matters, including six sponsored by the International Health Section:
B1: Improving Access to Higher Education Opportunities and Legal Immigration Status for Undocumented Immigrant Youth and Young Adults
B2: Improving Housing for Farmworkers in the U.S. is a public health Imperative
C1: Prioritizing non communicable disease prevention and treatment in global health
C3: Call to Action to Reduce Global Maternal, Neonatal & Child Morbidity and Mortality
C7: Highlighting the health of men who have sex with men in the global HIV/AIDS response
D1: APHA Endorses the World Health Organization’s Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel

We also approved two policies supported by the IH section:
B6: Reducing PVC in Facilities with Vulnerable Populations (sponsored by our friends in the Occupational Health Section)
LB2: Opposing the DHS-ICE “Secure Communities” Program (in support of immigrant rights)

The governing board also made some changes to the policy submission process. Some highlights:
1) Late-breakers now must be submitted 10 days before the conference
2) There are no longer two categories of policy submissions (short resolutions vs. policy statements); now all policies should be about 10 pages with plenty of evidence and background

Further, we accepted the report of the ad hoc “Policy Working Group,” which worked for two years to discuss how to manage policy resolutions that can be characterized as largely based on qualitative data or are values-based.

And, finally, there was a fun “wild card” vote on a statement to support the Occupy movement. It passed, 76% to 24%:
“The Occupy Wall Street movement is now active in more than 1,000 cities in the US and has related protests around the world. APHA supports its call for greater social equality, social justice, reducing income inequality, and its demand that corporate crime be investigated and prosecuted. We ask members to identify opportunities to build on the energy and enthusiasm of the nationwide Occupy movement and its synergies with public health.”

The governing council meetings are always open to the general membership at the annual conference. Next year, stop in and watch for a while–it’s always interesting! Even during the bylaws conversations!

The section also held its third and final business meeting, during which members discussed the section goals that emerged from the most recent Strategic Plan and ways to implement those in a concrete way.  The leadership will continue this discussion in more detail during the next conference call, which (as always) is open to any member who wishes to call in.

Annual Meeting, Day 2: A Visit to the Hill, Refugees, and the Awards Dinner

by Jessica, posted in APHA IH Section

This morning I got a preview of what those of you who are signed up for Thursday’s Advocacy Day will experience.  Since I will not be able to stay in DC until Thursday, I decided to take some time while I was here to visit the office of my own Congressman, Representative Michael McCaul.  While the Congressman was not able to meet me himself, I spoke with DoD fellow Christian Lyons (who manages his foreign affairs portfolio) and made my case for global health funding.  While he was very polite and expressed support for my concerns, he was just as eager to raise some issues of his own, so be prepared to answer questions and be on your toes!

After a long walk back from Capitol Hill, I took my “passport” to the Public Health Expo, determined to put my name in for the drawing (go free registration for APHA12!).  Walking around the expo is a great way to scope out job opportunities, pick up stress balls, and get free smoothies.  For me, it is also a great way to get comfortable with meeting and talking to people.  If networking does not come naturally to you (it has always been awkward for me), the best way to get good at it is to practice.

In the afternoon, I attended a session on refugee health.  Those presentations were particularly interesting to me, as I have done some research and writing on the side related to displacement and refugee health issues.  We heard from researchers who work with refugee populations, as well as a very interesting presentation from a representative from Physicians for Human Rights.

At the IH Social this evening, members got together to chat, make connections, and reminisce as we honored this year’s section awardees.  Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners.  Pictures will follow soon!

Annual Meeting, Day 1: Meetings and Opening General Session

by Jessica, posted in APHA IH Section

The APHA Annual Meeting kicked off today with the Opening General Session, which featured Pamela Hyde, administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association; Jonathan Jarvis, director of the National Parks Service; and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.  The session began with some very inspiring words from current APHA President Linda Rae Murray; however, I have to confess that I was less than impressed by the speeches – and somewhat baffled by the choices of Jarvis (not quite sure why national parks are relevant to public health) and Daschle (Obama’s first failed choice for Secretary of HHS).  That is just my personal opinion, though – many at the IH section’s first business meeting enjoyed the talks.

For some of us, however, the meeting began before the opening session.  Section members greeted and helped orient international attendees at our International Welcome Booth, which the Global Health Connections Committee is hosting for the third year in the a row.  The GHCC also held its annual meeting in the hour before the opening session.  We discussed our progress on the Global Health Expertise Directory and discussed ways to get involved in the section and make connections with other members.  After the opening session, the section held its first business meeting, where longtime members reconnected and new members learned about opportunities to get involved.

For many of us, one of the main highlights of the Annual Meeting is the wide array of scientific sections, which begin tomorrow – so get excited!  I have my own reason to be excited as well – although I cannot stay for the section’s very first Advocacy Day, I am going to my Congressman’s office to advocate for international aid funding!

IH Section Members: Sign up for the International Welcome Booth at the Annual Meeting!

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section, Section Announcements

Dr. Georges Benjamin, former Executive Director of APHA, has kindly agreed to allow us to host a Welcome Booth for our overseas colleagues. This will be the third year we will be hosting the Welcome Booth. The booth will be located in the registration area at the Washington Convention Center.

The Welcome Booth is a great place to meet, greet, and help our colleagues from overseas. For some attendees, this may be their first visit to the United States, while for some others this may be their first APHA Annual Meeting! You know that navigating one’s way to various sessions/meetings dispersed among several venues is not an easy task. This is where you could help by volunteering an hour or two each day at the Welcome Booth.

You will get to meet old friends and make some new ones! This is an excellent networking opportunity for everyone.

Please visit the Doodle poll and do the following:

1. Provide your full name (first and last name).
2. Select the days and times when you are available to volunteer.
3. Save your selection before closing the browser.

Please make your selection by 12 p.m. EST on Friday, October 28, 2011. Thank you!

Global Health News Last Week

by ihsection, posted in News

Note: There will be no news round-up next week, as the IH section will be conducting its usual array of activities during APHA’s Annual Meeting.  Please tune in for updates on section sessions and activites at the conference.  Meanwhile, you can get your global health news fix from the DAWNS digest, Humanosphere, or the Healthy Dose.

October 16 was World Food Day.
October 17 was International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

POLITICS AND POLICY

  • Scientists are warning officials negotiating a global treaty on mercury that banning the deadly chemical completely would be dangerous for public health because of the chemical’s use in vaccines. 
  • The Washington Post runs an editorial critical of the GOP presidential candidates’ hostility toward foreign aid.
  • An influential panel of MPs warned that changes in UK aid policies may make overseas aid more prone to corruption and misuse.
  • Attendees at the Asia Pacific Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights have called on countries in the region to introduce comprehensive sexuality education in schools.
  • The Kaiser Family Foundation has released a report which finds that global HIV/AIDS funding dropped by 10% in 2010.

PROGRAMS

  • HP Signed a Memorandum of Understanding with USAID to collaborate in the fight against global poverty through initiatives directed at issues such as public health.
  • GAVI CEO Seth Berkley pens an op-ed in Huffington Post on the economic value of childhood vaccines.
  • The Pan African Parliament has passed a resolution that urges African nations to prioritize maternal, newborn and child health programs.
  • USAID is initiating research to find out whether developing world families will adopt a new cooking technology and adapt their cooking methods to save their health.
  • At an event in Washington, the Aspen Institute’s Global Leaders Council called for increased accessed to contraception worldwide. 
  • Microfinance initiatives to fund development could benefit from reinvigorating their aims and taking on new, integrated approaches, according to experts at the 2011 International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy in Montreal.

RESEARCH

  • A new study, by researchers from the National Institutes of Health, Gilead Sciences Inc. and universities in Belgium and Italy, suggests that a microbicide gel, which was originally developed to fight AIDS in Africa, could lower the incidence of herpes in many women.
  • RTS,S a malaria vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline, is showing great of promise in the early stages of its huge clinical trial.  The American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Council Member and Science Director at the PATH Malaria Control Program, Rick Steketee, explores the impact of the new RTS,S clinical trial results and what this breakthrough means for science and neglected tropical disease research. On the other hand, Sarah Boseley wonders where the money will come from once the vaccine has passed its trials, and Karen Grepin is not as excited about the new GSK malaria trial results as many others.
  • Adults who have fallen behind on mortgage payments exhibited higher rates of depression and are skipping meals and medications because they cannot pay the bills, a study published in the American Journal of Public Health found.
  • Teenage drivers have fewer crashes after they’ve been driving for a while, but new research in the American Journal of Public Health suggests that a few months behind the wheel do not improve their driving skills much.
  • A recent study finds that the best way to fight TB in patients with HIV is to treat as early as possible.

DISEASES AND DISASTERS

  • The famine in Somalia isn’t getting much public attention, but not because things are improving. Aid workers predict things will get worse before they get better. Much-needed rain is coming, but the rainfall could deepen the crisis for the four million people there who need help.
  • Numerous UN agencies are ready to be deployed if Southeast Asian nations ravaged by flooding request for assistance.
  • A report by Roll Back Malaria Partnership released at the start of the Gates Foundation’s Global Malaria Forum says that the world is making positive steps towards eradicating malaria. Specifically, 29 countries are on track to stop malaria within a decade.
  • Environmental hazards sicken or kill millions of people — soot or smog in the air, for example, or pollutants in drinking water. But the most dangerous stuff happens where the food is made — in peoples’ kitchens.
  • World Health Organization officials say the rapid and extensive globalization of food production has increased the incidence of food contamination worldwide.
  • Speculators in the agricultural commodities markets are forcing grocery prices to rise too quickly and erratically, according to some top economists marking World Food Day Sunday.
  • Climate change poses an immediate and serious threat to global health and stability, as floods and droughts destroy people’s homes and food supplies and increase mass migration, experts warn.
  • A survey of 87 countries showed more than half the countries reported more or much more awareness of mental illnesses in the past three years. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot of new money behind that awareness.