Member Groups In Brief

Registration open for student meeting

Despite taking place online, networking opportunities will be front and center at October’s National Student Meeting.

The daylong event, to be held Oct. 24 as part of APHA’s 2020 Annual Meeting and Expo, will include panel discussions, presentations and in-depth discussions with students and leaders.

This year’s National Student Meeting — which is the 19th annual event organized by APHA’s Student Assembly — will touch on timely public health topics. The agenda includes a look at how moving to virtual platforms because of COVID-19 has affected public health students and conversations on racial- and sexual-based discrimination.

Registration for the student meeting, which has sold out in recent years, is open now. The event is open to all students, regardless if they are attending APHA 2020.

For more information, visit bit.ly/aphastudentmeeting20.

PHEHP helps build career connections

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many people out of the workforce, one of APHA’s Sections took action to help workers boost their online profiles.

In July, the Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section held an online event to help public health professionals develop their profiles on LinkedIn, a resource often used for networking and job searching.

“The Power and Importance of Virtual Networking” showed professionals how to sell themselves and develop their online networks.

“We have seen the increasing unemployment numbers during this unprecedented time — people may want to switch careers or reinvent themselves to thrive or survive,” PHEHP governing councilor Ashley Love, DrPH, MS, CPH, told The Nation’s Health.

The event, which was moderated by Love, was led by an expert from LinkedIn. While the Section is not on LinkedIn as a group, APHA has an established page, with more than 41,000 followers.

For information on future PHEHP Section events, visit bit.ly/PHEHP-news.

Scholarships support meeting attendance

Every year, APHA’s Annual Meeting and Expo offers an unparalleled learning and networking opportunity for public health students and early-career professionals.

Thanks to APHA’s member groups, hundreds of them will be taking part in APHA 2020 for free.

APHA member groups awarded dozens of scholarships to ensure that as many students and early-career professionals as possible can participate in the Annual Meeting, which will be held virtually for the first time Oct. 24-28.

“Students are entering the workforce during a pivotal time in our history when public health, more so than ever, is at the forefront,” Emily Bartlett, MPH, chair of the Student Assembly, told The Nation’s Health. “The Annual Meeting is a great opportunity to build upon for networking, learning, and gaining confidence in entering public health.”

Other APHA member groups — including the Community Health Planning and Policy Development, Oral Health, and Public Health Nursing Sections — are also sponsoring students this year through scholarships.

For Bartlett, who will be completing her term as Student Assembly chair in October, participating in the Annual Meeting has been transformational.

“I have made incredible friends and have been introduced to amazing professionals and scholars that I am proud to call colleagues in public health,” she said.

For more information on scholarships for APHA’s Annual Meeting, visit bit.ly/aphascholarships.