Title: REFLECTIONS OF A FORMER IH SECTION CHAIR
Author:
Section/SPIG: International Health
Issue Date:
I sometimes wonder why over 1,500 people pay good money to become members of APHA and join the International Health Section. What are the motivations? Is $160 annually ($50 for students and $65 for retired workers) a good financial investment? Does APHA-IH membership provide new information and networking relationships that lead to more rapid professional career advancement? Is it satisfying socially to belong to a club of one’s professional peers? Can volunteer participation in a professional association, APHA in our case, be an avenue of service to improve the public’s health?
My personal answer to all the above questions is a resounding “Yes.”
My next question, then, is how does one obtain the most benefit out of membership in APHA-IH? This question relates to the challenge of enticing IH members to participate actively in IH Section activities. With a section budget of under $5,000, it is obvious that money, the usual motivating factor according to economists, is not feasible. Maybe the volunteer aspect of participation in Section activities is the primary explanation of why so few IH members benefit from more than the APHA publications and its Annual Meeting.
Of course, most IH members, except those who are job hunting, are so busy in their regular jobs. If or when they get caught up, they will give some time to volunteering for some IH task that interests them. But they never get caught up. International health jobs can be all-consuming. This dilemma is understandable, and I’ll admit to having been a victim of it myself at times.
But I think slavery to one’s in-box represents an unfortunately narrow and short-sighted understanding of how one can best serve the public’s health, and for that matter, further one’s professional career.
Except perhaps for some laboratory bench jobs, being good in public health requires a broad understanding and experience in a lot of areas. Furthermore, knowing how to access the knowledge and experience and insights of many other professionals is key to being effective and doing your own job well. Enlarging your connections beyond the confines of just those working around you can make the difference between a run-of-the-mill international health professional and an outstanding one. Networking is crucial.
Of course, if you get involved actively in one of the IH Section Working Groups, one of the scores of “to do” items in your in-box may have to take a hit. You have to make judgments. I know, however, looking back over my 40 years in international development, that too often, I was so preoccupied by the pressure of the immediate and the short-term imperatives that I missed out on the larger picture and the greater contribution I could have made by enlarging my horizons.
So if you think that I am calling you to break away from the bondage of your in-box and become more involved in IH Section activities, you guessed right.