APHA Annual Meeting kicks off in New Orleans in November: 13,000 expected
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* Kim Krisberg

APHA’s 142nd Annual Meeting and Exposition will convene in November in New Orleans, bringing with it thousands of public health practitioners from around the world and the latest in public health research, practice and stories of success.

The Annual Meeting, which will run Nov. 15-19 and is centered at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, will welcome 13,000 attendees, who can choose among 1,000 scientific sessions, browse the more than 600 booths at the Public Health Expo and take part in a wealth of social events, business meetings, networking opportunities and public health celebrations. Many of this year’s scientific sessions will zero in on this year’s meeting theme of “Healthography: How Where You Live Affects Your Health and Well-Being,” but sessions will also explore the full gamut of the public health discipline, from emergency preparedness to infectious disease prevention to public health law. However, this year’s theme may be a particularly meaningful one in the context of New Orleans, which is still recovering from the physical, social and economic devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina nearly a decade ago.

![Figure1](http://www.thenationshealth.org/http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/nathealth/44/9/1.2/F1.medium.gif)

[Figure1](http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/44/9/1.2/F1)

The Annual Meeting, which will run Nov. 15-19, is centered at New Orleans’ Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Photo by Kathy Anderson Photography, courtesy New Orleans Conventions and Visitors Bureau

“APHA is thrilled to return to New Orleans and bring the support of thousands of public health practitioners to one of the nation’s most unique and historic cities,” said APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin, MD.

The Annual Meeting officially kicks off on Sunday, Nov. 16, with the opening general session, which will feature a keynote address from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson. Wilkerson is the author of the best-selling nonfiction book “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration,” which chronicles the migration of black Americans out of the South during the early and mid-20th century and how that migration shaped communities across the nation.

The Annual Meeting will feature a number of the nation’s leading public health professionals and advocates. This year’s closing general session, which takes place Wednesday, Nov. 19, will feature a keynote address from Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, who will speak about her vision for achieving a culture of health. Lavizzo-Mourey will be followed by a panel discussion on how to build a nationwide movement toward health, with panelists Howard Koh, MD, MPH, who until recently served as assistant secretary for health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is now a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health; Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN, administrator of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration; and J.T. Lane, assistant secretary for public health at the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

Another highlight at this year’s Annual Meeting will be a special session on Monday, Nov. 17, on the future of the nation’s health. It will bring together five previous U.S. surgeons general — Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA; Joycelyn Elders, MD, MS; Steven Galson, MD, MPH; Antonia Novello, MD, DrPH, MPH; and David Satcher, MD, PhD — as well as the current acting surgeon general, Boris Lushniak, MD, MPH. Other special sessions in New Orleans will focus on building the healthiest nation in a generation, the intersections between place and health and the aftermath of the Gulf Coast oil spill of 2010.

Between scientific sessions, attendees can browse the hundreds of public health booths at the Public Health Expo, which opens its doors immediately following the opening session on Sunday. The expo offers a diverse array of public health information, resources and products from schools of public health, APHA member groups, federal, state and local public health agencies, public health non-profit organizations and many more. Located in the center of the expo hall will be Everything APHA, a source for APHA publications and books, membership information and career resources. Everything APHA will also host book signings with APHA Executive Director Benjamin and opening session speaker Wilkerson on Sunday and with Michael Patrick MacDonald, author of “All Souls,” on Monday. For book signing times, see the ad on Page 17.

This year, the expo hall will also host the first Art @ the Expo, where artists will exhibit and sell science and health-themed work, including paintings, photography, jewelry and sculpture. For example, one of the featured artists creates medical-inspired jewelry, while another art exhibitor creates pieces inspired by New Orleans’ recovery after Hurricane Katrina.

Also new to this year’s meeting is APHA TV, a daily broadcast offering coverage of the latest science coming out of the Annual Meeting, interviews with public health leaders and sponsored content. APHA TV will be aired on televisions throughout the convention center, in select Annual Meeting hotels and on the APHA website.

Attendees looking for a place to rest or catch up with friends during the bustle of the Annual Meeting can visit the Mix and Mingle Lounge at the convention center. While there, attendees can step into the APHA photo booth to snap a souvenir and take advantage of free Wi-Fi.

During the Annual Meeting, practitioners can earn up to 30 continuing education credits by attending and evaluating eligible scientific sessions. Credits are also available to attendees who register for one of APHA’s many Learning Institutes that take place on Saturday and Sunday. The full and half-day Learning Institutes cover a range of public health topics, such as global health, digital storytelling and developing health advocacy campaigns.

New Orleans will also host APHA’s second Public Health Codeathon, Nov. 14-16. The free codeathon brings together public health practitioners with developers, designers and coders to create mobile apps, tools and other innovative technology in support of public health. In line with this year’s meeting theme, the codeathon will focus on tools that connect place and health. To sign up, visit [bit.ly/Codeathon14](http://bit.ly/Codeathon14).

Also for the second year, APHA and [AIDS.gov](http://AIDS.gov) are inviting meeting attendees to learn one-on-one with experts about how to use social media in support of public health goals. Registration for the APHA Annual Meeting Social Media Lab is free and is available online at [bit.ly/APHAsocialmedia](http://bit.ly/APHAsocialmedia).

Social media users are invited to attend the annual APHA Social Media Meetup at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 16 at the Spirits Bar inside the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. The informal gathering is a chance to network and brainstorm with fellow public health social media users. To RSVP for the Social Media Meetup, visit [www.vite.io/APHA14](http://www.vite.io/APHA14).

Registration for APHA’s 142nd Annual Meeting and Exposition will be available on-site in New Orleans. While registering, attendees should consider participating in APHA’s annual Help Us Help Them campaign, which this year benefits the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana. APHA’s goal is to raise $20,000 for Second Harvest, which serves more than 262,000 people every year and provides food access, advocacy, education and disaster response. Those who have already registered for the meeting can log into their registration or donate onsite at the registration desk to participate.

For more information, including the online program and information on travel, housing and accessibility, call 202-777-2742, email annualmeeting{at}apha.org or visit [bit.ly/APHA14](http://bit.ly/APHA14).

## Not coming to New Orleans? Tune into meeting via APHA social media

Whether in New Orleans or at home, the best way to stay abreast of the more than 1,000 events at APHA’s 142nd Annual Meeting and Exposition is by following APHA on social media.

APHA’s social media team will be out in full force in New Orleans, tweeting tips and updates, blogging about sessions and celebrations and posting photos. Follow @APHAAnnualMtg and @PublicHealth on Twitter for updates and news from New Orleans. Follow the #APHA14 hashtag for live updates.

Web users can sign up for daily email updates from the APHA Meetings Blog, which will be sharing news from scientific sessions, the expo, APHA book signings, social events and much more. Check in with APHA on Facebook and read daily recaps of the Annual Meeting on APHA’s Storify.

APHA’s YouTube page will feature video from the opening session and other main events, and APHA’s Flickr page and Instagram will share Annual Meeting photos as they are taken.

For more information on Annual Meeting social media, visit [bit.ly/APHAsocialmedia](http://bit.ly/APHAsocialmedia).

*   Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association