The International Health Section welcomes abstracts for the 2015 APHA annual meeting: October 31-  November 4, 2015, Chicago, IL. This year we seek a broad range of entries on International Health related to the session topics listed below, as well as entries related to the overall meeting theme.

General Instructions All submissions must be in electronic format for the conference. Although we do not offer separate tracks for them, we welcome abstracts on both research-based and program-based work. Abstracts should be limited to 250 words. Abstracts should: 1) State the purpose of the work to be presented 2) Explain the data or information used 3) Describe the methods used (as applicable) 4) Present major results 5) State recommendations (and/or policy implications) Abstracts will only be accepted within the topic areas listed with this call for Abstracts. Note that as part of the International Health program, all submissions should relate to: (1) health problems and issues of countries outside the United States or (2) how health problems and issues outside the United States affect the US (including lessons for the US from outside and the problems faced by immigrant populations).

APHA is the premier forum for scientific presentation and discussion of global public health issues. The International Health Section maintains very high standards for quality and content. Please read the specific instructions for submission on the APHA site and follow the format and process carefully. Abstracts that do not follow the exact format of the submission process will not necessarily be rejected, but will be marked down. If accepted for presentation, the author (or designate) will be expected to register and attend the conference.

There is no financial aid or assistance available for travel or registration. Individuals who may have difficulty attending the APHA annual meeting should identify a co-author that will be able to attend and participate in the program. Members from developing countries are encouraged to submit abstracts. Unfortunately, APHA cannot offer travel or meeting scholarships, but participants are encouraged to seek funding for travel through their national offices of USAID, WHO, World Bank, UNICEF, UNDP, and other partner/donor organizations.

Process for review
Individual Presentations: All submitted abstracts will be peer reviewed for consideration of inclusion in the program. Indicate your preferences for presentation format on your abstract form. You may submit your abstract with the designation “oral only”, “poster only”, or “no preference”.

Film Festival: Once again, the International Health section is pleased to feature a Film Festival as part of the program. The Film Festival provides a venue for film makers to showcase their work to health professionals and to highlight health issues in developing countries. If you are interested in submitting a film for consideration, please contact mbailey@jhuccp.org for further details.

Poster Sessions: There are 10 posters per poster session; this year we anticipate 9 poster sessions on a variety of IH topics. Please indicate your preference on the submission form.

Special Groups:

Special attention will be given to abstracts submitted by developing country nationals and students, therefore, these individuals should note their status on the abstract form.


Student Presenters: 1-2 of the section's oral panels are designated for presentations by students (topic: Student Panel). Please submit your abstract under this topic if you wish to compete in the peer-review process for these openings. Should there be more abstracts that qualify for acceptance than space available, those abstracts will be considered for placement elsewhere in the peer-reviewed program.
• To submit as a student, one should be enrolled in a full-time degree program.
• To submit as a developing country national, one should hold a passport of a non-OECD country AND not be a permanent resident of the United States or other OECD country.

Session Topics:

• Advocacy in Global Health
  
• Building partnerships and coalitions for international programs
  
• Child survival & child health
  
• Community based primary health care
  
• Displaced populations & refugee health
  
• Emerging & neglected tropical diseases
  
• Global health in medical education
  
• Global issues in mental health
  
• HIV/AIDS
  
• Health in all policies
  
• IH Poster Sessions
  
• Innovations in international health
  
• International environmental health issues
  
• International health & human rights
  
• International health communication/ behavior change communication
  
• International health programs & policy
  
• International urban health issues
  
• Malaria & vector-borne diseases
  
• Maternal & child health
  
• Monitoring, evaluation, and quality improvement
  
• Nutrition and malnutrition
  
• Reproductive health & family planning
  
• Social determinants of health
  
• Strengthening health systems in developing settings
  
• Student panel
  
• Systems thinking
  
• Training, human resource development and workforce issues
  
• Women’s health
  

Reminder - All presenters are responsible for their own travel, lodging, APHA membership fee, and meeting registration fee.

Continuing Education Credit APHA values the ability to provide continuing education credit to physicians, nurses and health educators 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 (to understand or to learn are not measurable objectives). 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 form with a relevant qualification statement Thank you for your assistance in making your session credit worthy.

Contact Annette Ferebee at annette.ferebee@apha.org if you have any questions about CE credit.

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Ready?

Program Planner Contact Information:

Padmini Murthy, MD, MPH, MS,CHES
New York Medical College School of Public Health
School of Public Health Building
Pleasant Valley, NY 12569
Phone: 914-594-3717
minimurthy@aol.com

and
Vamsi Vasireddy, MD, MPH, DrPH
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania
vasireddy77@gmail.com