It is hard to believe that it is almost time for our Annual Meeting! Before we know it, we will all be hustling to get to scientific sessions, business meetings, and renewing old acquaintances and making new connections. As the chair for the Health Administration Section this year, I am pleased to report progress in a couple of key areas.

First, as one of APHA’s oldest and largest sections, we are attempting to reconnect with one of the original segments of health administration: governmental public health officials from local, state, and federal agencies. While our section began as the assembly of municipal health officers, we have successfully diversified our membership to include a wide variety of individuals from many different aspects of administration, including program administrators, academics, students and others. In this year, we have attempted to make a special effort to reconnect with health officers who have, over time, diminished from the active ranks of our Section.

In an attempt to become more relevant to health officials and other members of the Section, we endeavored to become more focused in our call for abstracts and subsequent decisions around scientific sessions. Under the skilled leadership of our program chair, Dr. Glen Mays, we focused primarily on soliciting sessions that contribute to topics focused on leadership and management. Second, we wanted to explicitly provide an opportunity to highlight scientific presentations that described work generally referred to as public health systems research. I am pleased to say, that thanks to the work of Dr. Mays and his program committee, we have a great variety of scientific sessions which should be of significant interest to our section and especially to our public health officials.

Of particular note this year is a session that will highlight some of our greatest leaders in public health. On Sunday afternoon, we will host a session featuring two former surgeon generals, Dr. Joceyln Elders and Dr. David Satcher, in addition to former APHA president and state and local health officer Dr. Hugh Tilson, and the current health officer from Los Angeles and UCLA professor Dr. Jonathon Fielding. It will be my pleasure to act as moderator of what I am confident will be an inspiring and provocative session on leadership exercised at the front lines of public health. This is a session you will not want to miss!

This year, as in past years, we will be meeting in the early morning hours on Sunday through Wednesday as a Section. On Sunday and Monday we will devote our attention primarily on discussing proposed APHA policy statements as well as providing an opportunity to candidates for APHA elected positions to speak to the Section. On Wednesday we will transition to our new chair, Ms. Gloria McNeil, who will officially begin her term. We will also be hosting a welcome reception and section awards on Monday evening -- a great opportunity to connect with members of the Section and open to all Section members and interested guests.

It has truly been an honor to serve this year as your chair. Thanks to all of our committee chairs and members of our various committees for their hard work and effort. We look forward to the leadership of Chairman McNeel and in congratulating Ms. Tricia Todd as our chair elect for next year.  See you in Boston!

Best Regards,

Paul Halverson