The Community Health Planning and Policy Development section (CHPPD) develops and advocates for health planning, policies and practices to promote health equity, community empowerment and social justice. Through the conference, CHPPD hopes to foster continued discourse, interdisciplinary collaboration and translation of practice to policy.   The CHPPD section invites abstracts that advance these objectives and encompass our mission.  We are particularly interested in abstracts on topics broadly related to community health and health policy, including but not limited to:

• Addressing Social Determinants
  
• Advocacy and Community Engagement Strategies for Public Health Impact
  
• Community-Based Intervention Models
  
• Evidence -Based Decision Making: Translating Data into Effective Health Policy
  
• Innovative Cross-Sector Partnerships to improve Community Health
  
• Innovative Policy Approaches to Complex Public Health Challenges
  
• Justice-Centered Health Equity in Carceral Systems
  
• Leveraging AI to Help Improve Community Health Planning and Policy Development
  
• Measuring Success: Evaluation Frameworks for Community Health Initiatives
  
• Overcoming Barriers to Equity: Practical Solutions for Health Policy Implementation
  
• Strategic Philanthropy: Catalyzing Sustainable Public Health Initiatives
  

Abstracts should be limited to 350 words and must include at least one measurable learning objective or an experiential learning activity. Guidance for writing learning objectives can be found below in the Continuing Education Credit section. Referrals to web pages or URLS may not be used for abstracts. Abstracts must not have been presented or published in any journal prior to the APHA Annual Meeting.

Any abstract requiring the use of film or video must be submitted to the Film and Technology Theater section, regardless of topic.

For any and all inquiries about your abstract, always reference the abstract number assigned to you by the APHA on-line system. All presenters must be Individual members of APHA, register for the meeting, and complete a Conflict-of-Interest disclosure in advance of the Annual Meeting.

There are 2 major categories of abstracts:

1. Research Abstracts
   Please include the following information if submitting a research abstract:

• Background
• Objectives
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusion(s)
• Public health implications 

2. Program Planning/Implementation/Evaluation Abstracts
   Please include the following information if submitting a program planning/implementation/ evaluation abstract:

• Introduction to problem or issue being addressed
• Description of evidence and theory used to inform program development/ implementation
• Description of program activities and outcomes, or plan to evaluate outcomes
• Conclusion(s)
• Recommendations for practice

Please refer to the Continuing Education Credit section below for additional guidance on what to include in the abstract submission.

Invited CHPPD Sessions

An invited is an oral scientific session of between four to five panelists on a related issue or multi-faceted project organized by a CHPPD section member. To propose an invited CHPPD session, the session organizer must a) be a member of APHA, b) have selected CHPPD as a section choice, c) and follow all steps listed below:

First, contact the CHPPD Program Chair with a brief proposal describing the intended session. Once the Program Committee deems that the proposed session aligns with the themes of CHPPD and the conference, you will be officially invited to submit a detailed proposal. This will require you to complete the following:

1. Complete an invited session cover sheet.
2. Submit each abstract individually through the on-line system no later than the abstract due date. Note each assigned abstract number following submission.

All abstracts will be considered as individual submissions. Consideration for the abstracts as a proposed session will occur after the individual review of abstracts. CHPPD does not generally accept full sessions related to a single project.

A proposed invited session should not include more than 5 abstracts. A minimum of 3 abstracts for a proposed invited session needs to be accepted by the review process in order for the invited session to be scheduled. If less than 3 abstracts are accepted, then the accepted abstracts will be combined with other accepted abstracts to develop a different panel, roundtable or poster session.

Invited sessions and their component abstracts have the same deadline as individual abstracts submitted to the CHPPD section. There will be NO EXTENSIONS or alternate deadlines for proposed invited sessions.

Invited session planners are encouraged to submit sessions that further critical dialogue beyond Q&A and actively engage audiences using innovative presentation formats and experiential learning activities. For example, a session may demonstrate and train participants hands-on in the use of an advocacy tool.

Students and New Presenters

We highly value the enthusiastic membership and contribution of students to the CHPPD section’s content. We encourage students to present their work at the 2026 conference, through oral sessions, posters, and panels. We also encourage students to submit abstracts highlighting collaboration with faculty and community members. Members who have never presented at an APHA annual meeting, especially underrepresented groups, are also encouraged to become "new presenters" in 2026.

Continuing Education Credit

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 must provide:

• An abstract free of trade and/or commercial product names
• At least one MEASURABLE 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.
• A signed Conflict of Interest (Disclosure) form with a relevant Qualification Statement. See an example of an acceptable Qualification Statement on the online Disclosure form.

For general inquiries regarding continuing education credit and/or conflict of interest statements, contact Education@apha.org. Please contact the program planners for all other questions.

We look forward to your important contribution to CHPPD’s program at the upcoming APHA Annual Meeting!

---

Ready?

Program Planner Contact Information:

Ebony Johnson,
ejohnson@unitedwayatlanta.org