Title: Chair's Corner

Author:

Section/SPIG: Aging & Public Health

Issue Date:

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This is a big year for public health and aging. As noted elsewhere in this newsletter, National Public Health Week 2005 focused on healthy aging, and APHA continues to work on that theme when appropriate (such as during May’s Older Americans' Month). APHA staff member Lakitia Mayo deserves all of our thanks for her unflagging efforts in this area! The Association is also a member of the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, which represents 53 senior advocacy groups in Washington, D.C. This guarantees that the Association will be involved in health and aging policy issues in the future.

Two GHS Section leaders (Bob Burke, GHS section chair-elect and Sue Hughes, GHS Action Board representative) were nominated by APHA to be delegates to the upcoming White House Conference on Aging (see <www.whcoa.gov>). If anyone knows members of the Policy Committee (who will be making the organizational representative selections), please drop them a note ASAP encouraging them to include at least one APHA-nominated delegate: <http://www.whcoa.gov/about/policy/policy_committee.asp>.

Our own Annual Meeting in Philadelphia is shaping up to be both informative and fun. The program will offer scientific sessions to appeal to all, we have a fantastic set of awards and winners, Gerry Eggert is organizing his now famous silent + live auction for the reception (which last year raised more than $6,000 for the awards’ endowments), and the city beckons with its restaurants, bars, and other entertainment. This year’s top Section awards will be made to Robert (Bob) Binstock for lifetime achievement and to celebrate the upcoming 30th anniversary of the Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences that he continues to coedit; and to Richard Fortinsky as winner of the Weiler Award for Leadership in Aging and Public Health. Hotel registration is already open for the Annual Meeting, so book early to make sure you get a nearby room at a reasonable rate,
<https://www.one-stop-registration.com/apha/OSR.Index?show=1>. All the GHS activities will be in the convention center.

Susan Miller drafted a policy resolution on end of life issues on behalf of the Section that is working its way through the APHA policy process. It is important for APHA to have adopted policies on record when legislative issues come up. If anyone would like to start working on a policy resolution (it needs to be submitted by January) for the 2006 meeting, please contact Steven Wallace at <swallace@ucla.edu> so we can provide technical assistance to you.

By the time you read this, Section elections will be over. Thanks to those who ran for elected offices. We’ll announce winners in the next newsletter.

Enjoy the summer and plan to be in Philadelphi in December!