The following announcement is from Sarah Simpson.
Posted in APHA IH Section
A video Message from Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, on Hypertension, the theme of World Health Day 7 April 2013.
The world faces a huge challenge in providing food security for all in the face of growing populations, increasing demand for resource-intensive foods, and climate change. Leaders from G8 and G20 governments are pursuing a range of policy responses and it is crucial that they recognize the key role of technological innovation to ensure crop yields keep up with demand and available food meets nutritional requirements. But new inventions will do no one any good if they simply sit on the shelf.
IH Section members: This post was originally posted in December of last year. However, APHA has recently made some changes to the platform, so I am re-posting it with updated information.
In order to access the community, visit http://connect.apha.org and use your APHA membership ID and password to log in. If you don’t have this information, just go to APHA’s website and request that an e-mail with the information be sent to you (About Us > Membership Information > Update Your Member Profile, then click the link that says “Forgot Your Username and Password?”).
After logging in, you should come to the following screen. From here, you can access your Member Profile, the groups you are a member of, and your e-mail delivery settings.
The first thing you should do is set up your Member Profile so that other members with similar interests can network with you. If you go to edit your profile, you will come to the following screen:
Here, you can edit your name, your photo, your academic background, where you work, tags (keywords that allow other members to search for you based on your interests), address and phone numbers (only if you choose to make them available to other members), a short bio, and any social media profiles you have (e.g. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.). Once you have input all of this information, you can view your profile as others see it.
The main focus of the community, however, are the discussions that APHA is encouraging members to have within their professional sections. When you go to access “My Groups” (the link is in the upper right-hand corner of the screen), you will come to a screen that looks like this:
From there, you can access the group that corresponds to the section(s) of which you are a member.
Within each section’s group are the tools for communication and networking with other members. Here, you can search the section membership, access e-mail listservs, put events on the calendar, post to the bulletin board (essentially a message board), upload documents to the library, and post content to the wiki.
This tool has great potential to increase communication and networking among members. I strongly encourage you all to log in, set up a profile, and have a look around!
Posted in APHA IH Section, Information and Social Media
Tagged APHA, networking, social media
The following report summarizes the results of a climate change survey sent out to the members of the APHA IH section. The section’s chair and co-chair, members Rose Schneider and Hala Azzam, compiled the results below.
According to the Lancet Commission’s 2010 report, Managing the Health Effects of Climate Change “global warming is the biggest threat to health in the current century.” Yet most of the public health workforce have not yet been trained to deal with the challenges of climate change. The situation is exacerbated in low and middle-income countries. Faced with limited resources to mitigate or adapt to the increased frequency of extreme weather events, these countries have little infrastructure capacity to deal with, or recover from, climate change related events.
In 2012, the APHA International Health Section Climate Change Working Group (IH CCWG) conducted a brief survey of its members. Questions revolved around the current activities, level of knowledge and interest in climate change as it pertains to the work members do in developing countries. The survey was administered online and had a response rate of about 12% (186/1600 IH members) with 82% of the respondents completing the survey.
Basic demographics results indicated that more than 60% of the respondents were female, and about 40% of the respondents were between the ages of 21-39, and 30% between the ages 40-59. The respondents came from different work environments, with the largest percentage working in academia (~40%) and in NGOS (~30%). About 90 % of the respondents held a graduate or postgraduate degree, and the majority lived in the U.S. Some respondents, however, lived in Asia, Africa, Australia, the Pacific islands, Europe and Central Asia.
When asked about their climate change knowledge and awareness, half of the respondents reported that climate change is very relevant to the international work they do, and about 30% answered somewhat relevant. When asked about climate events in the country/ies where they worked, about 70% indicated changes in rainfall patterns and severe weather events such as hail, storm and floods, and about half indicated an increase in the number of hot days or nights. Awareness of the impact of climate change was high, with about 70% reporting changes in food production, food price hikes, and decreased access to water. Nearly 50% reported awareness of increased population migration, increased malaria incidence at higher altitudes, and deaths due to severe heat. At the same time, 1/3 of respondents reported not knowing what adaptation or mitigation processes or systems exist in the countries where they work. When it came to their views on the five most important activities to address climate change in international health work, more than 40% identified water conservation, climate change adaptation planning, green technologies, research, and development of evidence based approaches.
The two most frequently identified barriers for respondents to address or to integrate climate change activities into their work were; limited political/institutional support and inadequate funding. In response to what kinds of support would help overcome barriers, about 70% reported needing information on how to integrate climate change into ongoing public health activities, and close to 60% expressed the need for training and awareness campaigns, and for tools specific to climate change activities, such as vulnerability assessments, epidemiologic mapping, community preparedness planning, and basic understanding of green technologies.
In conclusion, while 80% of the respondents identified climate change as being relevant to their international health work, less than 20% currently incorporate climate change approaches into their activities. Furthermore, only 1/3 anticipated incorporating climate change into their work in the future. Yet, respondents clearly identified water conservation, climate change adaptation planning, research and development of evidence-based approaches, as well as the use of green technologies, as important activities to be implemented in international health programs. Indeed when probed about what steps, they, as individuals, currently take to reduce their carbon footprint, 93%, an overwhelming majority, stated that they turned off unneeded lights, 86% recycled at home, and more than 65% used public transport/carpooled or walked, lowered the thermostat in winter, turned off electronics, and reduced their trash. When asked about what the IH section should do in climate change roughly 3/4 of the respondents indicated the need to be more active in advocacy and policy, and more than half indicated the need for sharing information (tools, lessons learned, a virtual library, etc.), and joint sessions with other APHA sections and working groups.
Resources
In response to the needs expressed by the respondents, we have compiled a brief key resources list that we hope will be useful to readers:
http://www.apha-environment.org/pdf/APHA_ClimateChg_guidebook.pdf
We thank the I.H. Section members for their participation in the survey.
Rose Schneider, RN, MPH Rschneider@jhu.edu
Hala Azzam, PhD, MPH, CPH Hazzam@coempower.com
IH Climate Change Working Group
Each year, the International Health (IH) Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA) recognizes outstanding contributions of its members through its Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in International Health, its Mid-Career Award in International Health, and the Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice. The Section is now seeking nominations for deserving candidates for these three awards, to be presented at its Awards Ceremony at the APHA Annual Meeting in Boston, MA in November 2013.
The Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health was created by the IH Section to honor the visionaries and leaders in APHA who have shaped the direction of International Health. The evaluation criteria for the Lifetime Achievement Award include: (1) Quality/creativity/innovativeness of the individual’s contributions to the field of International Health; (2) The individual’s contributions to the development of APHA or the IH Section; (3) Application of the individual’s work to service delivery (as opposed to primarily theoretical value); (3) The individual’s contributions as a leader/visionary/role model; (4) The volunteerism/sacrifice associated with the individual’s contributions; and (5) Membership in APHA (preferably with primary affiliation with the IH Section), a State affiliate, or a national public health association that is a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. No self-nomination is allowed.
Prior winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health include Dory Storms, Tom Hall, Samir Banoob, William Reinke, Michael Latham, William Foege, Clarence Pearson, Stanley Foster, Joe Wray, Carl Taylor, Milton Roemer, Warren and Gretchen Berggren, John Wyon, Derrick Jelliffe, Tim Baker, Cicely Williams, Bud Prince, Veronica Elliott, Moye Freymann, Jeanne Newman, Jack Bryant, Richard Morrow, and Ray Martin.
The Mid-Career Award in International Health is intended to recognize outstanding young professionals in the IH Section. The evaluation criteria for the Mid-Career Award include: (1) The individual must have committed herself/himself to the promotion and development of primary health care in a cross-cultural setting over a period of 5-15 years [Primary health care is meant here to encompass a broad array of public health issues, including HIV/AIDS prevention and environmental health]; (2) The individual must have demonstrated creativity in expanding the concepts pertinent to the practice of public health with an international focus; and (3) Membership in APHA (preferably primary affiliation with the IH Section), a State affiliate, or a national public health association that is a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. No self-nomination is allowed.
Prior winners of the Mid-Career Award in International Health include Matt Anderson, Mini Murthy, Gopal Sankaran, Jean Capps, Tim Holtz, Kate Macintyre, Sarah Shannon, Adnan Hyder, Stephen Gloyd, Luis Tam, Marty Makinen, Colleen Conroy, Mary Ann Mercer, Irwin Shorr, Walter K. Patrick, Dory Storms, Dr. Clyde “Lanny” Smith and Mrs. Theresa Shaver.
The Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice is intended to reward outstanding achievement in community-oriented public health epidemiology and practice. This award was established in 2006 by the IH Section. It is administered by the Community Based Primary Health Care Working Group. John Gordon and John Wyon were pioneers in this field, so encouraging and recognizing others in this field is one important way of honoring their memory. The evaluation criteria for this award include: (1) The candidate must have had a central role in an outstanding achievement in community-oriented public health and practice; (2) The candidate must have demonstrated creativity in expanding the concepts pertinent to the practice of community-oriented public health with an international focus; and (3) The candidate must have membership in APHA or one of its affiliates (either a State affiliate or a national public health association that is a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. No self-nomination is allowed.
Previous winners of the Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice are Rajnikant Arole, Carl Taylor, Henry Perry, Bette Gebrian, Jaime Gofin, and Warren and Gretchen Berggren, and Tom Davis, Jr.
In addition, the Distinguished Section Service Award is intended to honor outstanding service to the IH Section. Award criteria are: (1) Dedication to the IH Section mission and goals as demonstrated by continuing exceptional contribution to its activities; (2) Serving on the section elective positions or chairing its committees with remarkable or unusual effort and achievements; (3) Distinguished achievement in the international health field with a remarkable career; (4) Excellence in leadership and strong ability for team work with peers in the IH Section and the APHA. Current membership in APHA is essential.
Nomination Process
Award nominations should include a detailed letter explaining why the individual nominated should receive the award, addressing the criteria for the specific award and the curriculum vitae of the nominee. Only nominations with required documentation will be considered for the awards. Nominations should be submitted by email to Gopal Sankaran (gsankaran@wcupa.edu), Chair, Awards Committee, International Heath Section.
Deadline for Nominations
Please submit the required documents by Monday, April 8, 2013.
The following is a message from Paul Freeman, Chair of the IH Section.
Early Bird Discounted Rates Extended for CUGH March 2013 Conference Washington Marriott Wardman Park D.C.
New Deadline: February 15, 2013
Register Now for: CUGH’s 4th ANNUAL GLOBAL HEALTH CONFERENCE
Global Health: Innovation | Implementation | Impact
March 14-16, 2013
Washington DC, USA
Don’t miss the opportunity to join 1,500 Global Health experts and professionals convening to explore the many facets of global health. To register go to http://www.cugh.org and follow the links.
Have your voice heard in Global Health work and advocacy in an independent well established national organization.
An open meeting of the International Health Section of the American Public Health Association will be held during the CUGH conference.
Site: At Conference, Washington Marriott Wardman Park Ballroom Balcony A
When: Friday, March 15th at 6:30pm
This meeting is an open forum where key members of the International Health Section of the APHA will inform you about what we do in relation to Global Health, solicit your views on how we can improve our work together, and demonstrate to you the advantages of joining us. Our 1,500 members already include members from across the full spectrum of professionals working in Global Health. Members of CUGH and GHC are especially invited.
Cervical cancer kills an estimated 275,000 women every year, 85 percent of whom are in developing countries. The link between HIV and cervical cancer is direct and deadly; HIV-infected women who are also infected with specific types of human papilloma virus (HPV) are 4-5 times more susceptible to cervical cancer than HIV-negative women. This has important implications for HIV programs, especially in countries with significant HIV epidemics.
To understand the opportunities and challenges of integrating cervical cancer screening and treatment into HIV services for women, the Center for Strategic and International Studies traveled to Zambia, which has been at the forefront of integrating these services.
Related to my recent post on the subject of negotiating humanitarian access is this upcoming documentary by MSF. The official description reads, “Directed by Peter Casaer and narrated by Daniel Day-Lewis, this documentary provides a harrowing look at the challenges of delivering humanitarian aid in armed conflicts.”
First launched on World AIDS Day in 2004, this film captures what it means to be women in a world of AIDS – a world where many women have little say about relationships. About sex. About condoms. And few ways to protect themselves against HIV. The film introduces its audience to a handful of scientists and advocates who are racing to curb the loss of future generations from this epidemic through the development of microbicides.
When Joyce Banda unexpectedly ascended to the presidency of Malawi last April, after the death of President Mutharika, many in her country and around the world wondered what her impact would be as Malawi’s first woman president. Among the many challenges, her government faces high rates of maternal mortality, high total fertility rates, and high HIV prevalence among women and girls, combined with low levels of women’s economic empowerment and widespread violence against women.
CSIS wanted to learn more about how women leaders in Africa are bringing new attention to women’s health and empowerment in their own countries, and to bring those voices into the discussion about U.S. policy priorities for women’s global health. To do this, we sent a small team to Malawi and Zambia in December 2012.
In this video, Malawi’s President Joyce Banda talks to CSIS about the importance of women’s health and empowerment in Malawi.
To learn more visit: http://www.SmartGlobalHealth.org/JoyceBanda
Congratulations to the APHA Trade and Health forum, which won the 2012 Award of Excellence for Continuing Education from APHA! The IH section is well-represented in the forum, and section member Mary Anne Mercer plays an active part of the forum’s leadership. The award letter is below.
Dear Forum Leader,
Congratulation!!! Your Forum was selected to receive the APHA Education Board Award for Excellence for your exceptional commitment to providing continuing education opportunities at the APHA 140th Annual Meeting and Exposition that was held in San Francisco, CA October 27 – 31, 2012.
This award is given each year to SECTIONS, SPIGs, CAUCUSES and FORUMS whose entire offerings of scientific sessions are awarded continuing education credit without revisions.
Those who need continuing education credit to maintain their certifications (CPH, CHES, MCHES) or license (CME, CNE) appreciate the hard work you do to provide over 800 scientific sessions for them to choose from.
I have attached the 2012 Award Emblem for Continuing Education. Please feel free to post this on your website and use it in your newsletters. The certificate will be mailed to the membership address on file for the 2013 Section Chair.
In the coming weeks, I will contact you to determine if you would like to recommend 5 of the 2012 Scientific Sessions for APHA’s new Online CE Program. More detailed information will be forthcoming.
The Education Board thanks you and your colleagues for your continued hard work.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Happy Holidays!!
Annette Ferebee, MPH
The connection between global health and national security is an area that can make a strong impact in our relationship with other countries. The United States’ global presence, especially through the military and diplomatic relations can serve as an avenue to improve health in countries lacking in resources.
In this video created by the Center of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), building relationships with other countries by utilizing our resources and expertise to improve healthcare increases that country’s productivity, health, and well-being Ultimately, this provides us with the opportunity to develop a partnership and maintain good relations around the world.
Our own Dr. Maggie Huff-Rousselle, longtime IH Section member and leader, is again running for APHA’s Executive Board. The Executive Board has 12 elected members, with three elected annually to four-year terms. During the upcoming annual meeting in San Fransisco, the Governing Council will elect three new Executive Board members. Voters will choose from eight candidates, one of whom is Dr. Huff-Rousselle. Below is a summary of her qualifications. Please spread the word and talk to those you know who can impact the vote!
Candidate for APHA Executive Board
Maggie Huff-Rousselle, PhD, MBA, MA
Progressive & Pragmatic Evidence-Based Advocacy — Putting the US in Context
I will work to make us collectively more effective in advocacy that re-shapes both US and global public health policies, within and beyond the borders of our own professional boundaries.
We need evidence-based advocacy contrasting the US with other countries where health services are viewed as a collective public responsibility, not a commodity traded in the marketplace. Americans have come to think of commercial insurance companies as “health care” rather than financial intermediaries that, given commercial incentives, skim the market cream by insuring those of us least in need of services (i.e. employed, higher income). Our fragmented health “systems” exacerbate social inequities and create wastage through marketing costs, and multiple administrative and billing systems.
Similar issues pertain to US policies (or lack thereof) in relation to the pharmaceutical industry: elevated US retail costs that deny access to essential medications for many; direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs (not allowed in most developed countries) that promote block-busters over appropriate essential drugs; and inadequate post-marketing surveillance of new drugs as contrasted with other Western nations.
Many existing public health policies need an overhaul. Illustrative examples, related to reproductive and sexual health and HIV/AIDS, include: abstinence-only campaigns; policies on abortion; and an ill-informed domestic approach that has left us with scandalous HIV/AIDS statistics right in our nation’s capital. These are only examples. They call for multi-disciplinary consensus-building on both health and social issues.
My orientation is progressive but pragmatic. If we are to be credible and effective catalysts for change, our advocacy needs to be well-sculpted (politically and otherwise) to succeed in creating sustained changes. We should listen to those who do not see things as we see them, and not preach only to those of us who are already converted. Advocacy should often follow a strategically incremental approach, within and beyond the borders of our own professional boundaries. This is what I hope to help with.
Biography: Depth & Breadth of Interdisciplinary Experience
If we are to be credible and effective catalysts for change, we must not preach only to those who are already converts: we should also
listen to those who do not see the health sector and health policies as we do.
Dr. Huff-Rousselle has over 30 years of experience in consulting, teaching and research in the health sector, including eight overseas residencies and roughly 100 short term consultancies in 50 countries. Her experience encompasses: health policy, financing, and management, with emphasis on macro and micro health sector financing, social marketing, institutional development, and pharmaceutical sector policy and financing.
She has directed multi-country technical assistance projects in health sector reform and financing (including national health insurance), and in pharmaceutical sector policy and financing. In long-term positions in Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, she has been instrumental in establishing five organizations working in pharmaceutical supply, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, or training and research. Her research interests combine qualitative research with financial and marketing analysis, always with a focus on access, equity and quality.
Since 1991, Dr. Huff-Rousselle has been the President of Social Sectors Development Strategies (SSDS), a Boston-based health consulting and research company with both an international and US-focus: http://www.ssds.net. She has served on the governing council of APHA, as a section councilor, and is the founding coordinator of the APHA Pharmaceutical Interest/Working group. She has current or former faculty appointments at Boston University, Harvard University, Keele University (England), and Tulane University. She teaches graduate courses on health and social marketing, financial planning and management, and global pharmaceutical issues (The Other Drug War). Dr. Huff-Rousselle serves on the Editorial Board of The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, and has served on other bodies, such as the Technical Review Panel of The Global Fund, the Women’s League of Voters, etc. She has published over 50 articles and case studies on health sector issues in national and regional newspapers, professional magazines, and peer-reviewed journals.
She has an M.A. in Writing/Education from Goddard College, a dual-M.B.A. from Boston University in Public Management and Health Systems (focusing on the US health sector), and a Ph.D. in Management Studies from the University of the West Indies. A citizen of the US and native of Canada, she speaks French and English.
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel, Make a Better Wheel and Move Faster!
Please join us for an exciting conference!
International Health Section’s Community-Based Primary Health Care (CBPHC) Working Group
14th Annual Pre-Conference CBPHC Workshop 2012
104.0 Workshop: Community Based Primary Health Care
Marriott Marquis (Golden Gate C2)
Saturday, October 27, 2012 – 8:30am – 5:00pm
“Effective Tools for Effective CBPHC: Don’t Reinvent the Wheel, Make a Better Wheel and Move Faster!”
Workshop Leader: Dr. Elvira Beracochea
For more information including the detailed workshop agenda: http://www.apha.org/programs/globalhealth/
For updates: https://apha.confex.com/apha/140am/webprogram/Session35927.html
To register, contact: Sandy Hoar (hoar@gwu.edu).
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN LOCATION. It is no longer at Moscone Center. It is at Marriott Marquis (Golden Gate C2)
CBPHC programs and services must deliver quality health services in the community efficiently and consistently to all, particularly the vulnerable and hard to reach. Effective tools and approaches helps CBPHC managers and health providers deliver effective and efficient services.
This year’s workshop continues a process that started with the review of CBPHC programs conducted by Dr. Henry Perry and Dr. Paul Freeman and Working Group members. It will lead to a toolkit of effective CBPHC tools for use and modification by all public health professionals in the field. The goal is to improve the effectiveness of various CBPHC programs, prevent CBPHC practitioners from reinventing the wheel and use our annual workshop to “make the wheel better!”
Dr. Elvira Beracochea, President and CEO of MIDEGO, Inc., will lead the working group and workshop. She is a public health doctor and epidemiologist with over 25 years of international experience implementing PHC programs and consulting in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. She is the author of “Health for All NOW” (MIDEGO 2007) a story about effective integrated health services, a human rights advocate and co-editor and co-author of the “Rights Based Approaches to Public Health” (Springer 2010). Dr. Elvira will discuss tools such as her “Health for All NOW” approach, Six Sigma for Global Health and Rights Based Approaches for improved effectiveness, quality and equal access.
Dr. Elvira will be aided by a team of experienced international health experts and professionals from related fields. Activities will allow the maximum networking and discussion between participants to discuss ways to use the tools presented and particularly, to maximize the development of the most important tool, that is, themselves. CBPHC is now an area with increasing prospects for young professionals. This workshop will provide skills and context for this subset of participants.
Those interested in international CBPHC are also invited to attend our business meeting on Tuesday at 6:30 pm (https://apha.confex.com/apha/140am/webprogram/Session35927.html) at the Marriott Marquis (Golden Gate C2). Experienced and young professionals are especially encouraged to attend.
To register contact: Sandy Hoar (e-mail: hoar@gwu.edu)
The only fee to pay is registration including morning coffee $35 (students $25). To facilitate planning, please register ASAP but certainly by October 20th and indicate if you will be joining us for dinner afterwards. For further information contact: Sandy Hoar, Laura Chanchien Parajon (email: lauraparajon@amoshealth.org) or Elvira Beracochea (email: elvira@midego.com).
