On our way to the city by the bay

Hello Ocean. Man, I missed you.

For all you public healthers living near that great big blue, this blogger is utterly envious. Lucky for me, this year's 140th APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition is in beautiful San Francisco, a city surrounded by water on three sides. (And there are few things more humbling than looking out over a giant blue ocean that seems to go on forever....)

But enough with the zen talk. And the humble talk. It's time to showcase the power of public health and fill up on that inspirational energy to make a difference and fight for justice (it's our most popular meeting souvenir). This year's meeting, which runs from Oct. 27–31, has a theme of "Prevention and Wellness Across the Life Span." Of course, many of the meeting's hundreds of scientific sessions will zero in on the theme, but sessions will also cover the full spectrum of today's public health practice and its emerging trends.

In addition to learning about public health's latest successes, attendees can earn continuing education credits, look for jobs and get career advice, network with colleagues, catch up with new and old friends, celebrate public health accomplishments, peruse poster sessions, attend the public health film festival, and get lost among the Public Health Expo's hundreds of booths (seriously, I got lost one time — that's how big it is. Also, bring an extra tote bag because the Expo is like public health's very own version of Halloween and there are tons of goodies and trinkets to be had.)

As usual, we've got some great speakers lined up as well. This year's opening session speakers include author Gail Sheehy, best-selling author of 15 books, including "Passages," which was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than three years. Also speaking at the opening will be Reed Tuckson, executive vice president and chief of medical affairs at UnitedHealth Group. (In a recent Q&A with The Nation's Health, APHA's newspaper, Tuckson noted that "if there is ever a time for public health, this is that time." For a taste of what Tuckson will talk about in San Francisco, click here for the full Q&A.) The keynote speaker at Wednesday's closing session will be social justice activist, scholar and author Angela Davis, who's penned eight books and lectured throughout the world.

So, I know we've said this many times before here at the APHA Meetings Blog, but the APHA Annual Meeting is huge. Enormous. Gigantic. Seriously, there's a ton of awesome stuff happening. To help you keep up with it all and check out what you missed, APHA's social media team will be blogging, tweeting, facebooking (is that a word?), uploading photos and much more. Check out our social media page for all the details and check back here for more on how we'll be helping you stay connected.

For all the info you need for this year's APHA Annual Meeting, including how to register, visit our meetings page. And don't forget that the last day of this year's meeting is Halloween! Public health-inspired costumes anyone?

P.S. What about this year's meeting are you most looking forward to? C'mon, let us know in the comments below. Us bloggers get lonely out here in cyberspace.

Above, the iconic Golden Gate Bridge with San Francisco in the background. Photo courtesy iStockphoto