Ruth Roman has been involved in the field of HIV/AIDS for over 20 years.  She first joined APHA/HA in 1986 as a student, keeping her membership for a couple of years before becoming inactive. After rejoining APHA and HA in 1996, she has remained active. Before the 139th Annual Meeting Ruth shared with me her views of the Health administration Section’s role within APHA and her priorities for the coming year.

Georgianne: With your years of experience can you tell us your views of public health and health reform as it is today?

Ruth: Wow, this is a "large" question -- let me see if I can respond concisely.  First, I would say that there is probably nothing more rewarding than working in public health and as challenging. There have been many areas within public health that have grown since I first entered the field in 1987; increased role of community health workers and peers; the impact of our aging population on resources; terrorism and bioterrorism, and the declining health care workforce. One thing that must remain constant is public health's focus on addressing the needs of those who are underserved, uninsured and those experiencing health disparities at all levels.

Working in the field of public health has meant that you are committed to helping those with limited or no resources access high quality health care and removing the barriers to access.  Health reform is a means to this end.  In my view, ultimately, the goal of any health reform initiative should be to increase access to high quality health care for vulnerable populations - the poor, the elderly, the young, and those on the outskirts of society. It is true that a secondary goal is to reduce or contain costs in order to make health care more affordable for all members of our society.  However, the first priority has to be access to care regardless of cost. This is our challenge and one that, as a wealthy nation, we must accept

Georgianne: How do you view the HA’s role in APHA? 

Ruth: I believe that HA's role within APHA is one of providing input and expertise to APHA in areas related to public health leadership. HA has the ability to provide a unique perspective on a majority of public health issues we are currently facing due to our broad administrative experience. In addition, due to the many years of experience within our section, we are able to provide valuable insight into the implementation of new public health issues and their impact on the delivery of health care to underserved and vulnerable populations.

Georgianne: What is your main focus for this year? What are your goals for this year and how do you plan to accomplish them?

Ruth: I can't say I have one main focus; instead I have a few interlocking priority areas I would like to focus on this year. Specifically, I would like to work on increasing our visibility within APHA as an important resource and continue our efforts to collaborate with other APHA sections and members and harness our experience and to foster increased communication among our members outside of the Annual Meeting. Over the past two years we began these efforts with our work on policy position papers and our increased outreach to students and other sections and/or caucuses - efforts which I would like to continue to grow. Communication within our Section remains a high priority as it can lead to increased participation from our members. We as a Section need to continue to provide a venue for our members where they may learn and share experiences on relevant topics with cross-cutting impact on public health administration, which they can translate into practice as public health administrators.

Georgianne: Has your background in infectious disease promoted urgency or a sense of “patience while implementing a plan” while working with the different issues that our Health Administration Section tackle?

Ruth: Working in infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, has given me an understanding of inclusiveness when implementing a plan, model of care or course of action.  We have learned over many years that the best and lasting plans are those that include various facets of the community not just those directly involved in health. Most importantly is the inclusion of those affected in developing any plan as there is no one better equipped to identify their needs and possible solutions. So, I would say that my field of expertise has provided me with a sense of patience with determined purpose. We should be inclusive of the opinions and ideas of our members while at the same time leading the section purposefully to accomplish our goals.

Georgianne: What drives you to continue your work with the HA section?

Ruth: First and foremost is the dedication from the members.  It has been an absolute pleasure to work with some of the HA members, and I can say that our interactions have been insightful, uplifting, informative and supportive. The members of our Section are our biggest treasure, and I am fortunate to be a part of such dedicated and caring individuals. Second, is the potential impact we can have right now as the specialty of health administration cuts across all facets of public health and the skills of health administrators are increasingly needed. Health administrators have a lot to offer public health and the HA section members as well.