Sunday, November 7, 2010

Booth-a-rama



It’s tough to decide where to go first in the sprawling Public Health Expo.

There will probably be a perpetual line at Walden University’s booth, where Annual Meeting attendees can pick up a bag of freshly scooped trail mix (dried cranberries, chocolate chips, granola and sunflower seeds). The school’s booth theme is “healthy cooking for healthy living” and they’re also hosting a healthy cooking demonstration featuring a local chef whipping up turkey and buffalo meatballs tonight at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. in room 706 of the convention center.

It’s always impressive to see how schools of public health draw people to their booths. There are squishy alligators at the University of Florida’s booth, “I am Public Health” buttons from George Washington University, lip balm from UCLA, magnetic bookmarks from Kent State and, of course, great literature on each school’s programs.

Check out the NASA Applied Science Program’s interactive globe and the posters and calendars explaining how science improves public health management. Near the back of the expo hall, a gigantic RV tricked out with an exam room shows how medical and dental services can be made mobile to reach under-served populations.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation booth features information on their programs addressing childhood obesity and vulnerable populations as well as the launch of their Public Health Law Network, to name just a few topics. (And you can check out the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's blog coverage of the Annual Meeting here.) The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association has orange and blue candy plus handouts, including “Ten Things in Health Care Reform You Didn’t Know Were Important for Women’s Health” (one is that “gender rating” is prohibited in health insurance, meaning women can’t be charged more than men for the same coverage).

Find fortune cookies, raisins and travel tissues at the Global Health Fellows Program booth, and check out the latest and greatest in public health titles at PubMart. There’s no way to give every fantastic booth a shout out, so go see for yourself. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today and tomorrow, and 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. What’s your favorite booth?

— D.C.

Above, the APHA Get Ready Booth, top, and the Walden University booth, bottom. Photos by Michele Late and Donya Currie

2 comments:

amy said...

I always loved doing fair's and figuring out what is that one item that will attract people to your booth...I haven't figured it out, but it is fun to see what people will do. Looks like alot of good stuff going on there thought! -amy r.

Shawn Barcus said...

This has been on my radar for a few years now. It is refreshing to see that it is getting bigger every year and a focus is being put on healthy living, preventative choices and positive living than the better living though science illusion. Thanks D.C!