CALL FOR ABSTRACTS — 140th APHA Annual Meeting

Theme: Prevention and Wellness Across the Lifespan

APHA-Special Sessions

Submission Deadline: Sunday, March 4, 2012

These sessions are 90 minutes in length, theme-related and should be broad-based to appeal to a large cross-section of our membership. They should not be section-issue specific but rather should strive to present a balanced view of an issue. If the issue is controversial, both sides of the debate should be presented.

We are looking for session proposals in the following topic areas: 

• The balance between personal and community responsibility

Public health delivers the message about the importance of and how to maintain one’s health, but individuals and communities must put it into action.  What roles do individuals, social determinants and the community play in doing so?

• Assuring sustainable systems for affordable nutritious foods for a lifetime

Our nutrition needs are both the same and different as we age.  How can we assure the foods we need to nourish our bodies are safe as well as available and affordable to all?

• Measuring and communicating risk across the lifespan

We are prone to different illnesses and injuries at varying points in our lives.  In addition, many diseases present us challenges in thriving and even in surviving.  How do we measure and communicate the risks at these points, as well as provide guidance on preventing and surviving them?

• Eliminating health inequities across the lifespan 

Measurable health improvements can be made faster by identifying and tackling areas of health inequities.  How do we identify them, address the systemic failures that create or allow them to continue, and measure and communicate successes?

• Population based strategies for violence prevention

We are at risk of being a victim of intentional and unintentional violence during our lifetimes.  What are strategies to reduce the risk as we pass through different stages in our lives? 

• Addressing immigrant health across life spans

Immigrants often experience additional/different challenges in maintaining their health – childhood immunizations, access issues, job safety and more.  What issues do they face and how can we address them?

• Health reform and prevention across the lifespan

Preventing morbidity and mortality is a challenge at any age.  How is health care reform critical to providing the access to preventive and treatment services we need to maintain our health?

• Ensuring accountability for high quality public health systems (Includes safety, accreditation & performance improvement)

Not only is access to services important, but assuring the quality and safety of the services is critical.  How do we assure quality and safety and continually improve services at the same time?

• Achieving sustainable policy success through advocacy

Public policy improvements are made when we speak loudly and when possible with a single voice.  How do we achieve those goals and deliver our messages in a manner that they are heard and acted upon?

Session Organizer
The proposal must identify one person as the session organizer and that person must complete the online conflict of interest disclosure form/biographical qualification statement before submitting the proposal. The organizer is required to submit a session title, session overview (550 words or less), one of the above topic areas and up to 3 measurable learning objectives. In addition, the organizer must submit the name and contact information of each potential speaker along with their presentation title. Once that information has been submitted on-line, each speaker will receive an email which links them to the submission forms to complete their abstract of 250 words or less, learning objectives and a conflict of interest disclosure form/biographical qualification statement. 

The session organizer will handle all communication with APHA and share all relevant information with speakers. In addition, the session organizer will obtain any additional information/materials/logistics requested by APHA from speakers by set deadlines and cooperate with APHA staff to ensure compliance with CE requirements.

Continuing Education Requirements

As an organization committed to providing quality continuing education (CE) activities to its membership and meeting registrants, APHA must adhere to the requirements of various accrediting bodies and professional organizations with which it collaborates. In the past APHA has made CE credits/contact hours available in a variety of professional disciplines. Each discipline has its own unique requirements of educational activities, and of the organizations that provide them. Because APHA strives to make as many of its educational activities as possible eligible for CE, it is essential that the presenters (authors, faculty, etc) meet all CE requirements and follow discipline-specific regulations. 

Selection Criteria
The APHA Program Committee Members-at-Large participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of all APHA-Special Sessions. In the selection phase, they will consider the proposed session using the following criteria: 

1. Relevance of topic to public health
2. Prominence of speakers and likelihood of significant interest
3. Appropriate, well written, and clearly stated session objectives
4. Methodologies of a quality consistent with session content, objectives, and appropriate for effective learning
5. Completed BioData/Conflict of Interest Form for session organizers for each planner and faculty that demonstrate expertise/credentials relevant to the proposed topic

 Acceptances of proposals will be made known to the session organizer by April 30, 2012.  For more information contact Donna Wright.

Note: Consistent with longstanding APHA policy, APHA does not reimburse members for Annual Meeting expenses even if speaking in a Special Session. On rare occasions, APHA will help offset travel costs of prominent non-members, but such exceptions require the personal approval of the Executive Director and proposed sessions should not assume such costs are acceptable.

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