Official greeters welcome APHA Annual Meeting attendees to the Minneapolis Convention Center in October.
Photo by Michele Late
APHA’s 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo brought ideas, energy and education to the U.S. public workforce and beyond in October, with attendees sharing strategies to boost public health.
Over 11,500 people attended the Minneapolis event, which focused on “Rebuilding Public Health and Science.”
Thousands of presenters at hundreds of sessions offered important research on infectious disease, health equity, social and environmental justice, climate change and more. At the meeting’s opening session, a nod to American Indian culture in Minnesota was given with a traditional music performance by ancestors of the Dakota people.
“Celebrating public health workers and all their accomplishments is always a major part of APHA 2024,” Georges Benjamin, MD, APHA’s executive director, said at the session. “And this year, because of Minnesota’s rich America Indian heritage, we are able to listen and learn from presenters and attendees whose ancestors have lived in the region for thousands of years.”
Opening keynote speaker Reed Tuckson, MD, FACP, kicked off a bevy of talks and events around the meeting theme, sharing ways to combat misinformation, regain trust in public health and improve scientific literacy.
Grand Valley State University’s Department of Public Health was among the more than 300 exhibitors that engaged visitors at APHA 2024’s Public Health Expo in Minneapolis in October.
Photo courtesy EZ Event Photography
Mistrust and misinformation are symbiotic, said Tuckson, who is chair and co-founder of the Coalition for Trust in Health and Science. Mistrust of federal institutions and the science they are based on leads to non-factual, unscientific beliefs, including rampant conspiracy theories.
“Manufactured distrust,” or deliberate disinformation, is also playing a role.
Public health is making progress in communication, such as by finding common ground with science skeptics then building on that foundation, Tuckson said. Another technique showing success is to reframe messages so people do not think they are losing their ability to choose.
“We must make every health encounter one that builds respect for life, engenders trust and enhances evidence-based decisionmaking,” Tuckson said.
More than 11,500 people attended the APHA 2024 four-day event in Minneapolis
Photo courtesy EZ Event Photography
When public health emergencies happen, health officials need to level with the public about what they know and do not know, according to Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
“What I find over and over, just tell the truth,” Said Osterholm, a regents professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, who spoke at another meeting session. “Tell them what you know and what you don’t know. People will hang with you. What they don’t want is when you sugarcoat things.”
Thomas LaVeist, PhD, dean of the Tulane University School of Public Health, highlighted some of the communication missteps made during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, phrases used on the vaccine rollout, such as “operation warp speed” and “breakthrough infections,” were confusing and made it sound like the vaccines were being rushed, causing people to feel unsafe, he said during APHA 2024.
Opening session speaker Reed Tuckson shared ways to combat misinformation, regain trust and improve scientific literacy.
Photo courtesy EZ Event Photography
“Social distancing” was another unfortunate phrase, given that humans are highly social beings. “Physical distancing,” which was used later by health officials, would have been a better choice from the start, LaVeist said.
At the meeting’s closing session, health officials discussed how partnerships can inform public health policy. J. Nadine Gracia, MD, president and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, illustrated the call to action.
Annual Meeting attendees listen to speakers at a session on public health leadership.
Photo courtesy EZ Event Photography
During the Obama administration, when Gracia was director of the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, she provided leadership on administration priorities, including the Affordable Care Act. Her office worked closely with promotoras de salud, trusted health educators in Spanish-speaking communities. The workers dispelled misinformation and myths about the ACA and helped Hispanic people sign up for health insurance.
Attendees practice taekwondo at the Wellness Center, which held a variety of free health activities in the expo hall.
Photo by Michele Late
The lesson was that strong partner collaboration can lead to healthier lives, Gracia said.
The Annual Meeting was also a place to mingle with luminaries in public health, including those who received awards. APHA honored its 2024 public health award winners during a luncheon ceremony, and the Association’s member groups presented hundreds of honors to outstanding workers and students in the field.
The CDC Foundation presented its annual James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health at the meeting as well.
Activist Zackie Achmat was honored for his work to increase access to lifesaving therapies for people with HIV/AIDS in South Africa and other countries. Despite government pushback to his years of efforts, his work has resulted in healthier lives for millions.
“Stand against the tide of ignorance and hate,” Achmat advised.
Networking, expo events attract crowds
APHA 2024 offered plenty of opportunities for networking, such as at Coffee Talks, the Say Hey Lounge and evening gatherings. Attendees could also browse more than 300 exhibitor booths at the Public Health Expo.
The expo hall also boasted over 350 scientific poster sessions presented by students, health professionals, researchers and scholars. In addition, meeting attendees had the opportunity to earn credits for continuing health education, nursing, the Certified in Public Health credential and more.
APHA’s Annual Meeting Blog kept attendees abreast of Annual Meeting happenings as they occurred. Meanwhile, APHA TV filmed on-site during the four-day meeting, offering updates and interviews with public health experts, which can be viewed on APHA’s YouTube channel.
Many meeting attendees said they were energized and empowered by the sessions and events at APHA 2024 and for the opportunity to network with like-minded peers.
“It is the good fight. There is nothing more rewarding than knowing you did something that improves the health of the population,” said Mary Bassett, MD, MPH, director of Harvard’s François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, during a session that discussed public health’s legacy. “We have something that everyone needs — everyone needs their health.”
With the Minneapolis event now complete, the Association is looking ahead to APHA 2025, which will be held Nov. 2-5 in Washington, D.C. Abstract submissions for the 2025 meeting, which will focus on “Making the Public’s Health a National Priority,” open Jan. 6.
Zackie Achmat was honored for his work to increase access to lifesaving therapies for people with HIV/AIDS.
Photo courtesy EZ Event Photography
For more information, visit www.apha.org/annualmeeting.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
