CALL FOR ABSTRACTS — 139th APHA Annual Meeting

Theme: Healthy Communities Promote Healthy Minds & Bodies

Health Law

Submission Deadline: Friday, February 11, 2011


Health Law Special Primary Interest Group (SPIG) sessions provide an opportunity to present to APHA members your research and analysis of topics relating to Health Law and Policy. The Health Law SPIG encourages submission of abstracts related to this year's Annual Meeting theme: Healthy Communities Promote Healthy Minds and Bodies; however, abstracts on other timely topics related to health law and policy also are welcome. The topics listed below are intended as general categories for submission of abstracts. The final focus (and titles) of the panel sessions for the conference will depend on the abstracts that are received. With that in mind, please submit your abstract under the topic that is most relevant.

In addition, if you are proposing a session or panel, please note that on each abstract submitted as a part of the panel. Please also note whether or not you would still be interested in presenting the abstract if the panel is not accepted as a whole.
  • Advancing human rights and social justice through law
  • Alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and food
  • Environmental health law
  • Global justice through international law
  • Health disparities, social determinants of health and the law
  • Housing, the built environment, population health, and the law
  • Mental health
  • Preemption and public health
  • Public health law research methods and legal theory
    Abstracts that focus on interdisciplinary, translational and systems sciences are particularly encouraged as well as abstracts tied to NIH and Healthy People 2020 priorities. Papers on research methods are also strongly encouraged.
  • The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
  • Other Issues in Public Health Law
We highly recommend drafting the abstract and learning objectives offline in a word document so you can edit them before pasting into the submission form. When submitting abstracts PLEASE take the time to be sure you have completed all the fields.

Keep in mind that:

  • Abstracts are limited to 250 words.

  • Learning objectives must also be submitted, but separate from the descriptive abstract.

  • The time allotment for presentations in our panels is usually 15-20 minutes.

  • We must have your name and contact information, including an email address for automatic receipt of notices regarding your abstract and session.

  • We need to know if you are a new presenter.

  • We need to know what AV you require. PowerPoint support will be available, however, use of slides require rental fees for the AV equipment.

  • You must respond to the question regarding significant financial interests.


  • Continuing Education Credit
    Continuing Education Credit
    APHA values the ability to provide continuing education credit to physicians, nurses, health educators and those certified in public health at its annual meeting. Please complete all required information when submitting an abstract so members can claim credit for attending your session. These credits are necessary for members to keep their licenses and credentials.

    For a session to be eligible for Continuing Education Credit, each presenter must provide:

    1) an abstract free of trade and/or commercial product names

    2) at least one MEASURABLE objective (DO NOT USE understand or to learn as objectives, they are not measureable).

    Examples of Acceptable Measurable Action Words:
    Explain, Demonstrate, Analyze, Formulate, Discuss, Compare, Differentiate, Describe, Name, Assess, Evaluate, Identify, Design, Define or List.

    3) A signed Conflict of Interest (Disclosure) form with a relevant Qualification Statement. See an example of an acceptable Qualification Statement on the online Disclosure form.

    Thank you for your assistance in making your session credit worthy.
    Contact Annette Ferebee at annette.ferebee@apha.org if you have any questions concerning continuing education credit. Contact the program planner for all other questions.
    Ready? Click

    Program Planner Contact Information:
    Heather A. McCabe, JD, MSW
    Indiana University School of Social Work
    902 West New York Street, ES4153
    Indianapolis, IN 46202
    Phone: (317) 274-8376
    hamccabe@iupui.edu

    and
    Kerri McGowan Lowrey, JD, MPH
    Public Health Law Network Eastern Region
    University of Maryland School of Law
    500 West Baltimore St
    Baltimore, MD 21201
    Phone: 410.706.5994
    klowrey@publichealthlawnetwork.org