From the Section Chair…
Dear Colleagues,
There have been many tragic events already in this New Year – the shootings in Tucson, floods in Australia, Brazil and Sri Lanka, and the one-year anniversary of Haiti’s devastation, which still continues. In the midst of these tragedies, I am hopeful about the many opportunities we have to use our injury expertise to prevent further hardship. So, with optimism, I wish you a Happy New Year.
I am honored to serve as your ICEHS Section chair, and I look forward to working together. My goals this year are: (1) to increase collaboration with APHA and non-APHA groups; (2) to invest in and increase student and new professional participation, and (3) to make ICEHS as relevant and helpful as possible to our other daily work. I will work my hardest to ensure that our Section lays the groundwork to continue to make substantive contributions to the field of public health. I welcome your suggestions about ways to achieve these goals as well as your recommendations for advancing the Section in general.
We had a terrific Annual Meeting in November in Denver, with an excellent scientific program, thanks to past Program Chairs Michelle Chervak and Keith Hauret. This year, the very capable Fred von Recklinghausen is program chair; he welcomes both reviewers and abstract submissions. Our Annual Banquet was both fun and inspirational – honoring both new and long-time colleagues in the field.
We have an exciting year coming up for our Section, for APHA, and for the global injury prevention community. For the first time, APHA’s National Public Health Week (April 4-11) has an injury focus; the theme is: “Safety is No Accident: Live Injury Free”. In addition, the UN has declared May 11, 2011, the start of the Decade of Action for Road Safety. Further information on these and other events can be found on the Injury Calendar in this issue.
I’d like to thank you for all you do for the ICEHS Section. For those of you who are new to ICEHS, we have numerous activities and can use your help and expertise. Please visit us online for more information about Section activities, benefits, leadership, and how to get more involved.
All the best,
T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, PhD, MPH
ICEHS Section Chair
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