From The Chair

Once again, the A&PH leadership has been busy on a number of fronts. Junling Wang, our program chair, has been busily coordinating the review of abstract submissions and in finalizing the education program for APHA’s Annual Meeting. Junling has been assisted in these efforts by PJ Desai and Nancy Miller. We thank the many members who volunteered to review abstracts as your help was essential to this effort. Abstract submitters will be notified in early June regarding acceptance.

Now, the process of selecting abstract/paper award recipients has begun and is being led by Award Committee Chair Irena Pesis-Katz. This selection effort includes numerous member volunteer hours since abstracts/papers for eight awards are reviewed. Each award review is coordinated by an award chair who is assisted by at least three reviewers. As always, awards will be presented on the Monday afternoon of the Annual Meeting, followed by an Awards Reception and Silent and Live Auction (led as always by Gerry Eggert).

The Membership Committee, led by Carolyn Mendez-Luck and Daniel Meng, is again planning a networking dinner following the Section’s business meeting on Sunday. Last year’s dinner was a resounding success, and we hope you plan to attend this year. As we did last year, the Section (through membership donations) will subsidize the dinners of student members.

The Policy Committee led by Mary Beth Morrissey, together with Karen Peters, the Section’s Action Board Representative, contributed numerous hours reviewing 28 policies that were submitted to APHA for adoption. On behalf of the Section, they submitted to APHA their recommendations regarding policy adoption (and needed changes as applicable). This group also completed a review of existing APHA policies and recommended to APHA whether these policies should be archived or updated.

Given the number of Section awards and the endowment dollars the Section has been accumulating, a Finance Committee has been established. This Committee is led by Gerry Eggert. After approval from the Finance Committee, I submitted to APHA leadership a request that the Section be allowed to establish a process for making recommendations to APHA on how to invest (permanently restricted) endowment dollars. We have a “go ahead” from both APHA and Section leadership to do this. I am now in the process of finalizing a Memorandum of Understanding between the Section and APHA which will outline all the specifics regarding our investments. Once this Memorandum of Understanding is approved by APHA we can begin to operationalize our process.

In closing, Lene Levy-Storms has assembled an excellent ballot this year, and I want to encourage all you to vote! Also, check out the new information and links that have been added to the Section’s website by Ruqaiijah Yearby (go to http://www.apha.org/membergroups/sections/aphasections/a_ph/).

Last, congratulations to the following Section members who have been appointed to APHA-level positions: Keith Elder, Equal Health Opportunity Committee; Helena Tempkin-Greener, Editorial Board, American Journal of Public Health; Mary Beth Morrissey, Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee; Karen Peters, Action Board; and Junling Wang, Awards Committee.

I wish you a wonderful, safe and healthy summer!

Susan Miller