Interested in climate change? Add these APHA 2018 sessions to your schedule

Today’s guest blog post comes from Dr. Natasha DeJarnett, policy analyst, Environmental Health, at the American Public Health Association.

APHA’s 2018 Annual Meeting and Expo theme is Creating the Healthiest Nation: Health Equity Now. Following APHA’s Year of Climate Change and Health, climate change and its impact on public health remains a focus of this year’s meeting. As attendees will hear and discuss throughout the meeting, climate change and health equity are inextricably linked.

Climate change is the greatest threat to public health. Though we are all at risk to the health threats of climate change, some groups are more vulnerable including children, elderly, impoverished communities, people of color, people with disabilities, undocumented residents, and LGBTQ persons.

This year, APHA is proud to feature 23 full sessions on climate change related topics in addition to many individual sessions on the topic. These sessions were organized by a variety of APHA member groups including the Ethics, Maternal and Child Health, International Health and Environment sections.

Climate change session topics at the APHA 2018 will range from impacts covering the 2017 hurricane season, wildfires, air pollution, and extreme heat to health complications including HIV/AIDS, suicide, vectorborne disease and heart disease.

Health equity will be a key component of many of these discussions. Health inequities in a changing climate may show themselves through uneven disaster response and recovery, a heavier burden of toxic pollutants in some communities, and extreme drought affecting the livelihood and culture of native tribal communities. Tackling these inequities are all part of APHA’s mission to create the healthiest nation in one generation.

Meeting attendees can view the full list of climate change related sessions online. To learn more about the APHA Annual Meeting, visit apha.org.

Register now for APHA’s 2018 Annual Meeting and Expo. APHA’s Annual Meeting is the largest annual gathering of public health professionals. Thousands of people attend, and thousands of new scientific papers are presented each year on every public health topic. APHA 2018’s theme, “Creating the Healthiest Nation: Health Equity Now” puts health equity at the center of our field’s attention. Learn more and register to attend.