A new day for APHA

For more than 140 years, APHA has reinvented the field of public health. Today as we face the challenges and opportunities of the rapidly changing health system it is time for APHA to evolve again. We need to make sure the voice of public health — your voice — remains loud and clear. 

Welcome to the new (and colorful) APHA. Announced at today's Opening Session, your new APHA is more than just a redesigned logo. It’s about a recommitment to our values as an organization and infusing a new energy and confidence in pursuit of our mission. We've  listened to you — our members — and we are repositioning APHA to better meet your needs as you work toward better health for all. The new APHA — and our new tagline (and rallying cry), For science. For action. For health. —  is based on the values that are the heart and soul of public health. As APHA's Executive Director, Dr. Georges Benjamin, said at the Opening Session:

We believe in community — as a place to solve problems, share new ideas, explore different perspectives and come together as one. It is our community that gives us greater potential for impact.

We believe in science and evidence-based decision-making — to assure that our work addresses the issues and informs the solutions to make the difference we know is needed. It is our evidence-based approach that leads to the best policies and practices.

We believe in health equity — to address the underlying injustice that is rampant in so many communities. It is health equity that allows ALL people and ALL communities to be healthy.

We believe in prevention and wellness — to prevent disease and injury, mitigate the impact of disasters and ensure healthy environments. It is prevention and wellness that leads to the healthy choice being the easy choice.  

We believe in real progress — to hold ourselves accountable to forward movement in health. It is real progress that sometimes means just small steps and sometimes means a leap forward, but always means healthier communities. 

Let's honor public health's great history and achievements by joining together, building a movement and speaking in a voice too united to ignore: For science. For action. For health.

To learn more about the new APHA and our new direction, visit www.apha.org/future and check out the above video.

— K.K.