The Human Rights Forum of the American Public Health Association (APHA) seeks abstracts for the 2023 APHA Annual Meeting and Expo. The goal of the Human Rights Forum is to advance the idea that human rights are an essential foundation for public health—research, policy, and practice. 

Human rights are identified as a guide for public health. Under this rights-based approach to health, health disparities can be understood as rights violations embedded in multiple levels from structural to individual. Additionally, this framework allows space for strategies to empower individuals in order to restrict, demand, and embolden government action to respond to the diversity of violations presented throughout different contexts. The right to health provides a normative framework with universal standards to articulate government responsibilities and evaluate health outcomes; empirical evidence supports the assertion that the existence of the right leads to positive health outcomes.

The Human Rights Forum seeks abstracts this year that analyze the different manifestations of injustices and human rights violations or programs and policies that work to address those violations. We are particularly interested in both domestic and international abstracts and session proposals that address human rights in relation to the following:

• Asylum Seekers
  
• Child Separation of Immigrant Families
  
• Health/Health Care Inequalities
  
• Housing Vulnerabilities
  
• Human Trafficking
  
• Incarceration
  
• Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health
  
• Refugee Health
  
• Violence and Mental Health
  

Abstracts must be submitted under one of the categories above. All submissions must relate to human rights as a basis for public health. Abstracts are limited to 250 words. Referral to web pages or URLs may not be used for abstracts. An author may not submit the same abstract to more than one Section, SPIG, Caucus or other Forum of the APHA. Oral presentations are generally 13-15 minutes in length, with 4 presenters per session being standard. Those presenting posters should display and be available to answer questions throughout the scheduled 60-minute poster session. If you have any questions, please contact the Co-Chairs Programming Officers.

Abstracts should be submitted in one of the following two formats:

1. Structured abstract format (suitable for abstracts on scientific research):

• Background
• Objectives
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusions

2. Alternative format (suitable for abstracts about policy, programs, interventions, and other types of research evaluations):

• Background
• Description
• Results or Lessons Learned
• Recommendations

Please Note: APHA does not provide any financial support for author attendance at the Annual Meeting. All expenses incurred for presenting at APHA are the sole responsibility of the author. Presenters must pay their own APHA membership, registration, travel, and lodging.

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Ready?

Program Planner Contact Information:

Silicia Lomax,
lomaxs@sas.upenn.edu


and

Jennifer Banarez,
banarezjennifer@gmail.com