Poster sessions: A one-stop shop

While it’s easy to get lost in the seemingly endless rows of booths at APHA's Public Health Expo, it’s worth the effort to make your way to the poster sessions alllllllllll the way in the back of the room.

Stopping by the poster sessions is a great way to get an overview of the important initiatives and research happening at universities, departments of health and other public-health minded organizations. Tailor your visit to your needs by fast-forwarding through all the posters, or lingering with the presenters for an in-depth explanation of a few studies.

Take it as an opportunity to speak with researchers on a topic you’re already working on, or learn about a new issue that you may not have time to attend a full session on.

Here are just a few highlights from Sunday afternoon’s poster session:

• The Orange County Health Department in Florida pioneered postpartum nutrition education programs for Hispanic and black women, tailoring the programs to the groups separately to account for cultural differences. Ninety-four percent of women who completed the 24-week “Better Weight for a Better You” program lost weight.

• A poll of voters in Ohio found that helmet use among all-terrain vehicle riders would double if a law were passed to require helmet use. The Columbus Children’s Research Institute found high public support for safety initiatives, including legislation requiring helmet use, safety classes, as well as age and passenger restrictions.

• A study of racial and ethnic disparities in gestational diabetes mellitus in Oregon found that Asian and Pacific Islanders had higher rates than some other groups. However, misidentification of other ethnic groups, namely American Indians, may play a role in this outcome. Regardless, 70 percent of women with gestational diabetes will eventually develop type II diabetes, which can be used as a justification for glucose testing in postpartum health care, according to the research from Oregon Health and Sciences University.

From college binge drinking to baseball injuries to ageism in hospitals, there was something new for all public health professionals. If you missed today’s poster sessions, be sure to check out future poster presentations in the coming days (and at dinner that night, you can wow your colleagues with an array of statistics, such as the rate of pertussis in the United States).

Preview the upcoming poster sessions in the online schedule.

— P.T.

A bright future for public health?

Like many public health workers, Julie Gerberding admits that sometimes the burden can feel too big — that sometimes it helps to seek out a different view.

That view, she told attendees at the Annual Meeting’s Opening Session on Sunday, can be seen from her garden, where sometimes she said she feels like reveling and other times, she feels like wielding a hatchet. Some nights, though, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said she looks over her garden and notices fireflies hovering about — and she thinks of her fellow public health colleagues. Like fireflies, public health workers represent “flashes of brilliance” — and the efforts of such workers are extraordinary, she said. But while each worker flashes their own “light,” public health workers as a collective haven’t been able to link together in a sustainable way, Gerberding said.

Part of the reason is because of the country’s failure to invest properly in the public health system as well as its failure to truly address health inequities. Even though the United States is the wealthiest nation on the planet and we spend the most on health care, our health indicators lag far behind those of other industrialized countries. However, Gerberding noted that the time is ripe to establish a “new vision” for America’s health, to move toward creating a health — not health care — system driven by two principles: health protection and health equity. Such a system may seem far off, but it’s not “pie in the sky,” Gerberding said. Public health workers, she said in her closing remarks, can help “create an illumination that will change the world.”

Following Gerberding, award-winning public health author and practitioner Laurie Garrett spoke before the audience of thousands on the seemingly overwhelming state of global public health. The gaps in indicators like life expectancy and maternal mortality between the wealthiest and poorest nations is only getting wider and simply throwing money — even lots of money — at the problem won’t solve the issues, Garrett said. For example, many on-the-ground programs in Africa working on HIV/AIDS simply don’t have the infrastructure or the workers to effectively administer massive amounts of funds. One organization said it had spent more than a third of its funds just to build a road from the clinic to the community, Garrett told Opening Session attendees.

Garrett said one of the biggest obstacles to truly improving global health is the massive shortage of health care workers in places like sub-Saharan Africa — and the United States isn’t helping. Faced with our own shortage of nurses, Garrett said U.S. policy-makers have failed to invest more in nursing education or make sure nursing professors are paid a decent salary (a comment to which the audience gave a round of applause) and are instead recruiting health workers from abroad. In short, “we don’t have an HIV crisis, we have a health care worker crisis,” she said. A crisis that could be mitigated by investing in community health workers, Garrett said.

The billions of dollars already in the global public health pot must be used more effectively, Garrett said. Organizers must step away from the traditional charity model and move toward models that encourage dignity, self-reliance and sustainability.

Before Gerberding and Garrett took to the stage, previous speakers spoke of the need to continue building a strong public health movement, supporting fair public health policies and working to create unity among traditional and non-traditional public health partners. Opening Session speaker and APHA President Deborah Klein-Walker, EdD, seemed to sum up the Annual Meeting’s overriding theme best: “I am committed to public health because it is the practice of social justice.”

Did the Opening Session speakers talk to your concerns about the future of public health? Will it change your outlook as you spend the next few days learning about new ways to improve the health of your community?

— K.K.

For another take on APHA's 135th Annual Meeting Opening Session, visit the Pump Handle public health blog.

Gerberding photo courtesy EZ Event Photography

Lost childhoods

A tin miner in Bolivia, a welder in India, bricklayers in Nepal and workers in a Guatemalan firecracker factory — all hazardous occupations and all performed by children.

The lives of such children were the focus of a presentation during Saturday’s activist summit organized by APHA’s Occupational Health and Safety Section and attended by workplace safety and health advocates. During the presentation, David Parker, MD, MPH, a medical epidemiologist, showed photographs from his book, “Before Their Time: The World of Child Labor.”

According to the book, 320 million children worldwide younger than 16 work, with 150 million employed in hazardous industries. Throughout the book, Parker discusses the detrimental health outcomes of child labor, not only from the hazardous effects of industrial substances, such as lead, on a developing body and mind, but from having to forfeit an education so a child can help support her or his family.

During the question-and-answer period, a participant commented that the reality is that many families would face starvation without their children’s extra income. Poverty, the participant said, is at the heart of child labor. Parker agreed, adding that a strong public health system must also be central in the movement to curb child labor. Public health systems are needed so families, especially mothers, can stay healthy, he said. Increasing access and support for reproductive health services is particularly critical. Women in developing nations face a disproportionately high maternal mortality burden, and many fathers don’t care for their children if the mother dies, leaving many kids to seek dangerous work to survive, Parker said.

Unfortunately, as social support systems are stressed more and more under the weight of preventable disease and death, child labor numbers will continue to rise, Parker noted. Economic development, he said, won’t solve the child labor problem on its own — public health must be part of the solution.

Visit Parker’s Web site for more information and to view photos from his book.

— K.K.

Making sure no one is left behind

When public health emergencies strike, how do we meet the needs of different populations, and in particular, people living with disabilities?

Those attending yesterday’s Student Assembly meeting on improving public health preparedness systems, heard from Eileen Elias, MEd, deputy director of the Office on Disability at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Leon Larson, senior program analyst in the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, on just that subject. The presenters described the limited mechanisms currently in place at the federal, state and private levels to enforce comprehensive preparedness planning that addresses the unique challenges facing people with disabilities.

Elias pointed to Hurricane Katrina as a case-in-point for the major challenges people with disabilities may face during emergencies. When Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast, Elias said, many people with disabilities were separated from their caregivers, service animals, needed prescriptions and other social supports during evacuations and while they stayed at shelters.

However, to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are met when future emergencies occur, HHS’s Office on Disability has formed a partnership with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. The two offices are jointly offering emergency planning and response documents, including a “shelter assessment tool” and an “emergency planner toolkit,” as a part of their efforts.

During the question-and-answer session with Elias, Student Assembly Chair-elect Tamar Klaiman noted that Hurricane Katrina as well as the attacks of Sept. 11 not only “brought home” the reality of disasters striking on American soil, but also led to increased funding for research into public health emergency preparedness, providing the necessary resources to develop an effective knowledge base.

Visit the APHA Annual Meeting site to find more scientific sessions on public health and emergency preparedness.

— A.B.

Public health students 'get ready'

APHA’s Student Assembly helped kicked off the 135th Annual Meeting today with “Get Ready: Improving Public Health Infrastructure and Infectious Disease Prevention.” Welcoming students from a variety of public health schools, student meeting Director Bryn Bird and Student Assembly Chair Darren Mays, MPH, opened the meeting with a few helpful tips for Student Assembly members to help them make the most of their time at the meeting.

For starters, Mays recommended that students check out the Student Assembly booth, number 1422 in the schools of public health section of the Public Health Expo. There, attendees can learn more about the Assembly and how to get involved with volunteer opportunities as well as in Assembly committees. Information at the booth will also be available for those interested in visiting Capitol Hill on Monday, Nov. 5, and advocating on behalf of public health.

Also, an official student welcome and orientation event on Monday will provide an overview of the Student Assembly for those new to APHA. The event, which takes place from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. in room 202A of the Washington Convention Center, will include a discussion with APHA’s president-elect candidates, an awards session and an informal candidate roundtable.

After Bird’s and Mays’ welcoming remarks, Lynn Goldman, MD, MPH, professor and chair of the Interdepartmental Program in Applied Public Health at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, presented the keynote address at the student gathering. She discussed the need to improve the public health infrastructure to better support emergency preparedness activities, citing examples of poor public health preparation and management during Hurricane Katrina and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

When such emergencies occur, Goldman said, it is crucial that the voice of science reaches key decision-makers, and that risk communication is effectively and accurately relayed to the public.

“People want information that holds up, not spin control,” she said.

Goldman stressed the importance of the Student Assembly in focusing the public health agenda on current and “real” issues. She advised Assembly members heading into the public health work force to be “clear, grounded and forceful” when talking to the media to ensure that necessary health information reaches the public. Preparing the public to be “responders” and to take preventive measures is a key goal of public health, she said.

— A.B.

Make your voice heard: Speak up for public health

With an Annual Meeting theme of “Politics, Policy & Public Health,” it would be a shame to not take full advantage of your time in D.C. by visiting your congressional representative and advocating on behalf of public health.

Making your voice heard in the halls of Capitol Hill is easier than it sounds — especially with APHA’s help. To make an appointment with your state’s senators or representatives, call their D.C. offices now to set up a meeting. You might not get a direct meeting with the policy-maker, but don’t pass up an opportunity to meet with her or his office staff. Hearing from constituents really does make a difference — especially if hundreds of public health-supporting constituents all descend upon Capitol Hill in the same few days.

To get started, visit the APHA Annual Meeting advocacy site. The Web site offers a wealth of tools for your advocacy experience, including talking points on APHA’s top priorities: improving access to health care, eliminating health disparities and supporting a robust public health infrastructure. Also offered are materials you can leave with your Congress members, a tool to help you find and set up an appointment with your representative, and a sample phone script if you only have time to make a phone call. The advocacy site also connects you to APHA’s CapWiz system, which allows you to personalize and send an e-mail to your representative or senator.

Students interested in visiting the halls of Congress, should meet up with APHA’s Student Assembly on Monday, Nov. 5, at 2:30 p.m. outside of APHA headquarters, which is located just a short walk from the Washington Convention Center at 800 I St., N.W. From APHA, participants will make their way to Capitol Hill to meet with their members of Congress. Send an e-mail to organizers for more information.

If you’re more inclined to take your voice to the D.C. streets, join the Community Speak Out on HIV/AIDS and Neighborhood March on Saturday, Nov. 3. Organized by the Metropolitan Washington Public Health Association, the event is designed to promote awareness and spur action on behalf of Washington, D.C.’s high HIV/AIDS infection rate. The march begins at noon from the corner of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King avenues, SE. The speak out begins at 2 p.m. at Washington Highlands Library, 115 Atlantic St., N.W. Visit MWPHA for more information.

The Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall will be the backdrop for a Global Warming Rally, also on Saturday, Nov. 3. The rally, organized by Step It Up, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, will run from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Visit Step It Up for more info.

In case of spare time

There are many words that go well with the APHA Annual Meeting: learning, networking, advocating, educating, growing...busy. Very, very busy.

Of course, busy in a good way. Hundreds upon hundreds of scientific sessions on every imaginable public health topic, a plethora of networking opportunities, social gatherings every night, award ceremonies, famous guest speakers, chances to check out a public health school or even find your dream job. There is enough going on at the upcoming 135th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., to fill up a month in your day planner — and yet we have to fit it all into barely four days. It’s a tight squeeze.

So, needless to say, the APHA Annual Meeting doesn’t leave a person much free time. But, if you do find yourself with some time to spare and a nagging feeling to go exploring, you’re in the right city. The nation’s capital is bursting with things to do, stuff to see, places to eat and an easy-to-use public transit system that gets you where you’re going.

Culture, culture everywhere

When it comes to culture in D.C., one word usually comes to mind: Smithsonian. The next two words are “free admission.”

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum complex and research organization and if you have a chance to check out just one or two museums while in D.C., it’s definitely worth the trip. Probably the easiest museum to get to from the meeting is the recently renovated National Portrait Gallery, which is just a few blocks from the Washington Convention Center. Temporary exhibits on display during the APHA Annual Meeting include “Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits” and “Legacy: Spain and the United States in the Age of Independence, 1763-1848.”

If you have time to venture further away, you can walk among dinosaurs at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum, gaze up at early aircrafts at the Air and Space Museum or immerse yourself in America’s first cultures at the National Museum of the American Indian. Visit the Smithsonian for a full listing of attractions.

Besides the Smithsonian, the city is full of historical sights, from the Lincoln Memorial (which is quite impressive at night) to the National Archives (yep, it’s the real Constitution) to the many memorials that help keep our past in the present. The city is also home to lesser-known galleries and museums, such as the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences, which is just a short walk from the convention center at the corner of 6th and E streets, NW.

Culinary capital

The Annual Meeting might not leave a lot of time for sightseeing, but everyone has to eat.

There is so much delicious and interesting food in D.C., you could travel around the world in just a few days: stuffed Malaysian lotus root on Sunday, West African okra soup on Monday, a table full of Spanish tapas on Tuesday, and hot El Salvadoran pupusas on Wednesday. (If none of this sounds familiar, that’s all part of the fun of D.C. dining. And stuffed lotus root is really much tastier than it sounds.)

To help map out your culinary travels, visit this online restaurant guide. You can also visit the APHA Annual Meeting site for a list of D.C. restaurants that employ environmentally friendly, sustainable practices.

Big city, small town

Beyond the famous monuments, tourist-filled museums and political wranglings of Congress, D.C. is home to a diverse patchwork of vibrant neighborhoods, each with their own flavor and feel. So, if you’re still not tired after a full day of scientific sessions, grab a D.C. Metro map and go wander.

Closest to the Washington Convention Center is D.C.’s Chinatown, which during the past few years has undergone a total transformation. Along with grabbing an authentic Chinese dinner, visitors can shop new stores, check out new restaurants, take in a show at the new movie theater or even go to the bowling alley.

Outside of Chinatown, there’s the bustling nightlife of Adams Morgan, late-night coffee talk in Dupont Circle, shopping, shopping and more shopping in Georgetown, Ethiopian delicacies and D.C.’s native food, the half-smoke sausage, in U Street-Cardozo, and political chit-chat on Capitol Hill.

For more help in filling up your spare time — if you have any —visit the Washington, D.C., Convention and Tourism site.

Annual Meeting blog kicks off

Welcome to the American Public Health Association’s 135th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., and the first Annual Meeting daily blog.

From Nov. 3 through Nov. 7, writers with APHA’s Communications Department will be posting a few entries each day, covering a variety of Annual Meeting scientific sessions and events. We’re hoping that amid the hustle and bustle of the meeting, this daily blog will give you a chance to read about a session you missed, continue a debate that just got started or simply reflect on the day’s hot public health topics. If you don’t have time to check out the blog while you’re at the meeting, no worries — the blog will still be accessible long after the meeting is over.

Comments on this blog are encouraged and welcomed. However, because all comments will be screened before publication, there may be a delay before a comment is posted. Comments that include profanity, personal attacks, spam, inappropriate or inflammatory text or are irrelevant to the topic discussion will not be posted. APHA reserves the right to block users who violate these posting standards and/or remove their comments.

If you’d like to be notified when new blog entries are posted, sign up below to receive e-mail alerts or subscribe to the blog’s RSS feed. If you have any questions or comments, e-mail us.

APHA is the oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world, dedicated to protecting all Americans and their communities from preventable, serious health threats and assuring community-based health promotion and disease prevention activities and preventive health services are universally accessible in the United States.