The 2008 APHA Annual Meeting in San Diego provided an exciting
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| CHPPD Student Committee Chair (2008) Ashley Wennerstrom (far left) with Student Award Winners Jennifer Mendel (middle) and Erika Chapman |
opportunity for student CHPPD members to meet one another and to make connections with professionals in the public health field. It also inspired many students to become more involved in the Section’s mission to promote health planning, policies and practices that promote health equity, community empowerment and social justice. This year, the CHPPD Student Committee hosted its first ever scientific session comprised solely of student work. Aneesah Akbar-Uqdah was responsible for organizing the session, and Ashley Wennerstrom served as the moderator.
CHPPD student members enthusiastically attended a variety of sessions as moderators, presenters and attendants. Motivated by their experiences, some have taken on new leadership roles within the Student Committee. Here is what a few members have to say:
“While it is difficult to attend every session you want at the conference due to other priorities, it is a great place to network with professionals and other students. I had the opportunity to moderate a session, which I really enjoyed. I thought the awards dinner was great. It was an opportunity to interact with people one on one and relax a bit in the midst of all the excitement of the Annual Meeting.” – Joe Schuchter
“It was a pleasure to attend APHA for the second year in a row. I enjoyed participating in the awards ceremony and getting to know the members of the section. For me, the San Diego trip was more enjoyable due to the fact that my fellow classmates attended with me." – Dawn Alayon
“The Annual Meeting provides a great opportunity to network with other public health students, health professionals and organizations/agencies. Although it’s hard to attend everything you’re interested in, it’s great to learn about what’s worked and what hasn’t. I was able to attend sessions relevant to my work, which is great because there’s always something new to learn each year.” – Marianne Cadiz
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CHPPD Student Session Photo courtesy of Lynn Kotranski |
“I had the privilege of moderating the student session. I was very impressed with the caliber of the student’s work. The session was well attended, and the presentations inspired an interesting discussion. I also had a fantastic time at the Section’s awards dinner. It was wonderful to meet fellow Section members in person and finally match faces to the voices I’ve heard on so many conference calls.” – Ashley Wennerstrom
The Student Committee hopes to take advantage of this motivation and actively participate in helping to plan events for the CHPPD Section, as well as another student session for this year’s Annual Meeting in Philadelphia!
By Aneesah Akbar-Uqdah, Student Committee Chair, aakbaru@sph.emory.edu and Ashley Wennerstrom, ashwen@email.arizona.edu