Denver, Colo., November 10,
2010 – The American Public Health Association
concludes its 138th Annual Meeting and Exposition today in Denver, where more than 12,000 public health
professionals from around the world met to address the nation’s top public
health challenges.
“The APHA
Annual Meeting provides a unique platform for thousands of public health
professionals to come together to share the latest research, discuss advocacy
efforts, build new partnerships and address emerging health issues currently
facing the nation,” said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, FACEP, (E), executive
director of APHA. “This year, as the next phase of health reform implementation
unfolds, public health professionals will be called upon to employ the
practices shared and lessons learned during the Annual Meeting in states and communities
across the country to ensure all Americans reap the benefits of this historic
law.”
Themed
"Social Justice: A Public Health Imperative,” the meeting provided a forum
to address a broad range of significant public health
issues, including health reform implementation, health disparities, climate
change and health, emergency preparedness and more. New research
released at the meeting addressed issues such as hyper-texting and
hyper-networking as emerging health risks among teens, the effect of city-wide
smoking bans on maternal smoking, and fast food marketing.
The
Annual Meeting kicked off Nov. 6 with a groundbreaking daylong Summit on Health Reform designed to prepare
and equip public health officials and agencies for effectively implementing the
important provisions of the new health law and address key strategies around
the next phase of implementation with a particular focus on the law’s impact on
prevention, wellness and public health.
The
opening session on Nov. 7 featured Cornel West, PhD, professor at Princeton University, and Bill Jenkins, PhD, MPH,
with the University of North Carolina Institute of African American Research
and formerly with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he
helped end the infamous Tuskegee Study. Video of opening session speakers is
available on APHA’s YouTube Channel.
The 2010
Annual Meeting concludes today with speakers John
Colmers, Maryland Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene; Paul Jarris, MD, MBA,
executive director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials; Sara Rosenbaum, JD, chair of George Washington University’s
Department of Health Policy and Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor of Health Law
and Policy; and Joanne Silberner, former health policy correspondent at National
Public Radio. In between, more than 1,000 scientific
sessions showcased the most cutting edge public health research and advocacy reflecting
the broad impact of the field on the lives of U.S. families.
Several new distinguished leaders and officers were elected to
guide the meaningful work of the Association. Additionally, the Annual Meeting marked
the beginning of the one-year term of APHA President Linda Rae Murray, MD, MPH.
The Denver City Council issued a proclamation acknowledging the APHA
Annual Meeting and recognizing the Association while in Denver.
Next
year’s APHA Annual Meeting will be held Oct. 29-Nov. 2, 2011, in Washington D.C.