CALL FOR ABSTRACTS — APHA 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo
Asian & Pacific Islander Caucus for Public Health
Meeting theme: "Making the Public’s Health a National Priority"
Submission Deadline: Friday, March 28, 2025
The Asian & Pacific Islander Caucus for Public Health (APIC), in official relations with the American Public Health Association (APHA), invites abstracts for the 2025 APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition.
We encourage submissions that focus on the annual meeting’s theme, "Making the Nation's Health a Priority" as it applies to Asian American and/or Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Abstract submissions authored by or in collaboration with AAPI community-based partners are highly encouraged.
Although we will consider ALL submissions, the 2025 APIC Scientific Program will highlight work that addresses the annual meeting theme of innovative science, actionable, and evidence-based or promising policies and practices in relation to social connectedness, health equity, racism and discrimination, care coordination for vulnerable populations, and social determinants of health. The following topics are intended to stimulate, rather than to limit, the scope of submissions:
APIC Poster Session #1
APIC Poster Session #2
APIC Poster Session #3
Building Resilience: Programs for Trauma informed mental health services, community responses to hate crimes, and bystander intervention.
Trauma-Informed Mental Health Services:
Train mental health professionals in culturally competent and trauma-informed approaches to working with AAPI individuals and families.
Develop culturally specific interventions to address the mental health needs of AAPI survivors of hate crimes and discrimination.
Community-Based Responses to Hate Crimes:
Empower AAPI community organizations to lead advocacy efforts and policy changes to address hate crimes and promote community safety.
Create safe spaces and support groups for AAPI individuals to share their experiences and heal from the trauma of hate incidents.
Bystander Intervention Training:
Partner with schools and universities to implement bystander intervention training programs to address anti-AAPI bullying and harassment.
Develop culturally relevant bystander intervention training materials that address the specific forms of racism and discrimination experienced by AAPI
Healing as a Priority: Understanding mental health and the model minority myth, disaggregated data to address disparities, and intersectionality in AAPI Health.
Mental Health and the Model Minority Myth:
Explore the impact of the model minority myth on help-seeking behaviors and access to mental health services among AAPI men.
Examine the relationship between academic pressure, perfectionism, and mental health outcomes in AAPI youth and young adults.
Disaggregated Data and Health Disparities:
Analyze disaggregated data to identify specific health needs and priorities for AAPI subgroups, such as refugees, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Use disaggregated data to advocate for targeted interventions and resources to address the unique health disparities faced by different AAPI communities.
Intersectionality and AAPI Health:
Investigate the experiences of AAPI women with disabilities and the barriers they face in accessing healthcare and support services.
Examine the impact of immigration policies on the health and well-being of undocumented AAPI individuals and families.
Health Through the Generations: Youth mental health, reproductive health, aging and caregiving in AAPI communities.
Youth Mental Health and Cultural Identity:
Develop culturally sensitive mental health programs for AAPI youth that address issues of identity, acculturation, and intergenerational conflict.
Implement peer support groups and mentorship programs to promote mental well-being and resilience among AAPI youth.
Reproductive Health Across the Lifespan:
Address the unique cultural and linguistic needs of AAPI women in accessing reproductive healthcare services, including family planning and maternal health.
Examine the prevalence of culturally specific reproductive health concerns, such as female genital cutting, in certain AAPI communities.
Aging and Caregiving in AAPI Communities:
Develop culturally appropriate resources and support services for AAPI caregivers of older adults, including respite care and caregiver training programs.
Explore the role of traditional healing practices and alternative medicine in promoting healthy aging in AAPI communities.
Nourishing our Health: Addressing food insecurity and access, sharing relevant dietary interventions, and implementing community-based approaches to nutrition.
Food Insecurity and Access:
Assess the impact of economic disparities and limited English proficiency on food insecurity and access to healthy food options in AAPI communities.
Evaluate the effectiveness of culturally appropriate food assistance programs in addressing food insecurity and improving dietary quality among AAPI families.
Culturally Relevant Dietary Interventions:
Develop and implement community-based cooking classes that incorporate traditional AAPI cuisines and promote healthy eating habits.
Partner with AAPI grocery stores and restaurants to offer healthier food choices and nutrition education to customers.
Community-Based Approaches to Nutrition:
Create community gardens in AAPI neighborhoods to increase access to fresh produce and promote physical activity.
Establish partnerships with AAPI community organizations to host nutrition workshops and cooking demonstrations.
Shaping the Future of Public Health: Building trust, addressing health equity, and tailoring culturally healthy communication.
Trust-Building and Community Health Workers:
Examine the role of faith-based organizations in facilitating community health worker programs and building trust within AAPI communities.
Evaluate the effectiveness of training community health workers in culturally specific approaches to address mental health stigma and promote help-seeking behaviors.
Digital Health Equity:
Develop and evaluate culturally tailored mobile health applications to improve chronic disease management and self-care among AAPI populations.
Investigate the use of telehealth to increase access to mental health services for AAPI individuals in rural or underserved areas.
Culturally Tailored Health Communication:
Develop and evaluate culturally tailored social media campaigns to raise awareness about hepatitis B and C in AAPI communities, promote screening and vaccination, and address potential barriers to access.
Create culturally relevant educational materials to increase awareness of cancer screening guidelines and encourage early detection in AAPI communities.
Other AAPI Priorities
Programs/initiatives on sustainability in AAPI communities (e.g., food systems, Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid policy, climate change, precision medicine, language access, access to care, etc.)
Programs/Initiatives on infectious disease, vaccination uptake, and emergency response (COVID-19, tuberculosis, hepatitis) on AAPI communities.
Discuss limitations of aggregated data in accurately representing the diversity within AAPI communities and the impact it has on health outcomes.
Other AAPI public health topics
The session topics are preliminary and do not reflect the precise content of the final program. Presenters selected to give oral or poster presentations will be required to register for the APHA Annual Meeting and become an individual member of APHA and APIC. Therefore, individuals should submit an abstract only if they are committed to making the presentations themselves or have a substitute willing to register, attend the meeting, and deliver the presentation.
Abstract guidelines and requirements:
1) Format
Abstracts must be limited to 250 words or less.
Abstracts should be structured to include the following sections: Background/Significance, Objective/Purpose, Methods, Results, and Discussion/Conclusions.
Do not include references or citations in the text of the abstract.
Do not include trade or commercial brand names in the abstract.
2) Submission
Indicate if you wish to present the abstract as an ORAL or POSTER presentation. APHA has general guidelines for each format option. There are limited slots available for oral presentations, so please give the Program Committee as many options as possible.
Do not include your name or contact information in the text portion as this prohibits blind peer review.
3) Continuing Education Credits:
APHA values the ability to provide continuing education credit to physicians, nurses, health educators, veterinarians, 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, panelist, discussant, and/or faculty must provide:
An abstract free of trade and/or commercial product names.
At least one MEASURABLE SINGLE outcome (DO NOT USE “To understand” or “To learn” as objectives, they are not measurable). Examples of Acceptable Measurable Action Words: Explain, Demonstrate, Analyze, Formulate, Discuss, Compare, Differentiate, Describe, Name, Assess, Evaluate, Identify, Design, Define or List.
Contact Mighty Fine at Mighty.Fine@apha.org if you have any questions concerning continuing education. For program questions, contact the program planners listed below.
Blind peer review of abstracts by the Program Committee is based on the following selection criteria:
Importance. Abstracts should highlight importance and significance of the public health problem or issue.
Relevance. Abstracts should be relevant to Asian and/or Pacific Islander health.
Innovation. Abstract should highlight innovative and novel topics.
Abstracts should completely describe research/project/concept and provide supporting data where appropriate.
Clarity. Abstracts should be concise, clearly written, and convey the primary goals and/or ideas of the project/program.
APIC Student Abstract Award: The Student Primary Author of the highest scoring student abstract will be recognized with an award during APIC’s annual award ceremony at the 2024 APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Minneapolis, MN. To be considered eligible for the 2024 APIC Student Abstract Award, the primary author must be enrolled as a full-time or part-time student at the time of abstract submission. She/he must also note that she/he is a “Student Primary Author” on the abstract. The invitation to present and/or receive the APIC Best Student Abstract Award will be withdrawn should the primary student author be unable to present at the Annual Meeting. To apply, please refer to the abstract submission guidelines at https://apha.confex.com/apha/2020/cfp.cgi
Those interested in Asian and/or Pacific Islander health are invited to join APIC. Further details on the Caucus can be found at http://www.apicaucus.org. For more information about the 2024 APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition, please visit https://www.apha.org/annualmeeting.
Submitting an abstract to APIC implies that you understand the terms of this call for abstracts. Failure to adhere to the above-mentioned instructions may result in your abstract not being considered and could impact future submissions. Furthermore, submitting the abstract implies that you (and/or your co-authors/colleagues) are willing to present at the Annual Meeting and Exposition.
