Update on APHA Annual Meeting 2011 ATOD Program
Lawrence S. Brown, Jr., MD, MPH, FASAM
ATOD Program Chair
With more than 600 submissions to the ATOD Section for the 2011 APHA Annual Meeting (a record for our Section), the task of reviewing and selecting abstracts for the oral and poster sessions was daunting, despite the generous number of sessions allotted to us. We would like to say “thank you” to the approximately 150 ATOD Section members who gave of their valuable time to do the reviews.
The large proportion of abstracts were of high quality, and the preferences listed by submitting authors created logistical challenges to the folks charged with arranging the program for 2011. We say “well done” to the ATOD Section Program Planners who completed this task with diligence and dispatch.
The next task is to ensure that all of our oral sessions receive continuing education accreditation. This was achieved last year, but for approximately half of the sessions, it required a second round of review by APHA staff to accomplish. As a result, we were not recognized for our achievement at the 2010 ISC Meeting. The goal this year is to obtain accreditation for all sessions in the first round of review. As an added incentive, APHA has added new recognition items for 2011, including, among others, an article in The Nation’s Health and a CE Logo for our Newsletter.
The final goal is to obtain co-sponsorship for our sessions from as many other APHA Sections, SPIGs, Caucuses, and Forums as possible. Last year we obtained 65 co-sponsorships from 16 Sections, Caucuses, and Forums. Obtaining first round accreditation for our oral sessions should help us to surpass last year’s results. Last year we offered to co-sponsor 81 sessions offered by other Sections, SPIGs, Caucuses, and Forums. All were accepted. We expect to do at least as well in 2011.
Even the most successful endeavors provide opportunities for improvement. For 2011, abstract submissions for our Student Award posters were less than 2010, which were less than 2009. To reverse this trend, next year’s Call for Abstracts will need to showcase this session more prominently, or we may need to use additional outlets to spread the word. In addition, there were other suggestions for improvement of our Call for Abstracts announcement that will be evaluated once the program planning for this year is complete.
