Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112294

Susan K. Steeg, JD, Public Health Law Association, P.O. Box 133122, Atlanta, GA 30333, Jean O'Connor, JD, MPH, Center for Health Policy and Legislative Analysis, The MayaTech Corporation, 2751 Buford Highway, N.E., Ste 202, Atlanta, GA 30324, 404-264-2644, joconnor@mayatech.com, and Edward Richards, JD, LSU Law Center, Program in Law, Science, and Public Health, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-100.

Policy development is one of the three core functions of public health yet the legislative and regulatory processes are not well understood by many public health professionals. Legislation and regulation are effective tools to improve the public's health as has been illustrated by countless successes, such as laws and regulations to protect the safety of food and drugs and mandates to fluoridate water, prohibit smoking, and to use seat belts.

A panel of presenters from the Public Health Law Association (PHLA) will identify universal lessons learned about the role of law in translating science into practice by using examples of legislation and regulation of such issues as methamphetamine abuse, needle exchange, HIV name reporting, and obesity. The panel will present how to (1) communicate with policy makers about scientific findings, (2) build coalitions, (3) identify champions, (4) engage in the legislative and policy-making process, and (5) consider the potential consequences of competing public health priorities in an environment of limited resources.

The panel will include an attorney for a public health department who has developed legislation, a public health advocate who has enacted public health legislation or regulation, and a public health policy researcher.

The session will explain the state legislative and regulatory processes and illustrate the need and opportunities for public health professionals to identify and execute policy development activities in their practice.

Learning Objectives:

1. Communicate scientific data to policy makers.
2. Identify interest groups necessary to form coalitions.
3. Describe the legislative and regulatory policy processes.

Keywords: Law,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commertial supporters WITH THE EXCEPTION OF My employers, the MayaTech Corporation and Emory University School of Public Health, both of which hold grants and contracts related to health policy analysis..

Recorded presentation