Title: GREETINGS FROM THE CHAIR
Author:
Section/SPIG: International Health
Issue Date:
These last several months since the APHA Annual Meeting have been very active. Much of the work has been led by the Section membership. It is gratifying to see the deep commitment of the leadership and other members who are engaged in Section activities or have asked to become engaged. I would like to share with you three categories of activities: APHA-wide work; advancing resolutions; and leadership.
This past November, APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin asked the IH Section to coordinate Association-wide on the topic of health and global trade. In January the Section recommended that APHA launch a project to: (a) begin to educate the association membership about issues concerning trade and health; and (b) engage in dialogue the U.S. government and other stakeholders to increase the priority given to public health in trade policy and agreements.
The IH Section recommended that this agenda be pursued by: (1) devoting one of the 2005 Annual Meeting Special Sessions to the topic; (2) encouraging Sections to organize scientific sessions on trade and health within their programs; (3) asking the American Journal of Public Health to devote at least part of an issue to evidence about trade and health; (4) initiating an ongoing dialogue with the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); (5) considering the establishment of a task force or some mechanism within the Association to support ongoing education of the APHA membership on trade and health issues; and (6) seeking support to engage an expert for a year or two to help APHA become a significant player in public health and trade issues. The Section, under the coordination of Marty Makinen, will continue to support APHA in this area.
The Section has also begun to develop several resolutions, which is a key APHA function. The Section has also followed up on its strategic plan commitment to develop resolutions that advance our international health agenda. The "health systems task force," formed at the November meeting, drafted two resolutions, reaching out to experts in the field as they did so. The first resolution proposes a simple code of ethics for U.S. health care employers with regard to employing physicians, nurses and other health professionals trained abroad. A second resolution on structural adjustment policies calls for international lenders to recognize the importance of increased expenditures for health in poor countries. Discussion has also begun about a resolution on immigrant occupational health issues that might be developed jointly with the Occupational Health and Safety Section. Section member Amy Hagopian partnered with Eric Friedman of Physicians for Human Rights and had further assistance from Rick Rowden at Action Aid USA. Section members Karen Solheim and Mary Anne Mercer also provided assistance with the resolutions, along with several others who provided very helpful comments and critiques.
With respect to the Section leadership, we once again acknowledge the fine efforts of Betsy Bassan (Chemonics), who chairs the Program Committee. While it is too early to report on content, it appears there are exciting topics that will be included in this year’s IH Section organized events for the APHA Annual Meeting. On another note, the Section leadership has begun to have monthly telephone conference calls. They are normally on the last Wednesday of each month. If you are interested in participating in these telephone calls please contact Donna Barry <djbarry@earthlink.net>, who is managing the conference calls for the Section. By participating in the phone calls you can also be called upon to serve in a Section subcommittee. Please do participate. This is a good way to become engaged.
The Section is in the process of redesigning its Web site. It is doing so not as a stand-alone effort but to better convey the global health orientation that APHA takes. The Section’s Web site is being developed to better serve the needs of students and young professionals. We expect that it will more easily direct them to public health tools, international and nongovernmental organizations, and job opportunities. Finally, the Section is working closely with the Association advocating for a policy of one year free APHA membership for new students. Each of these efforts we hope will make the IH Section a natural home for young professionals.
Our Section members travel a great deal. Yet despite the travel schedules, the membership is active in IH affairs. This is the way it should be. I invite all Section members to become engaged in Section matters and to play an active role in shaping the Section. I look forward to working with you all in the coming year. Should you wish to become more involved in the Section, please contact me. We have a number of committees that need to be filled as yet. For example, the chair of the Resolutions Committee should be appointed within a month. Please let me know if you are interested in becoming active in the Section or in representing the IH Section on APHA committees.
In conclusion, let me remind everyone that we will be holding our mid-year meeting – as usual – to coincide with the Global Health Council meeting. The time (in the evening) and the meeting location will be communicated to you closer to the date. I look forward to seeing you all.