American Public Health Association
Encyclopedia
Stephen Smith (surgeon)
Stephen Smith was an American surgeon and a pioneer in public health.-Biography:He was born on February 19, 1823 in Skaneateles, New York...
, APHA has more than 30,000 members worldwide. The Association defines itself as being "the oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world." It defines its mission as: "The Association aims to protect all Americans and their communities from preventable, serious health threats and strives to assure that community-based health promotion and disease prevention activities and preventative health services are universally accessible in the United States. "
Member Groups and State Affiliates
APHA’s 30,000 members represent a broad array of health officials, educators, students, environmentalists, policy-makers and other health providers at all levels, working both within and outside governmental organizations and educational institutions.Organizational Components: Sections and SPIGs
Sections serve as the primary professional units of the Association and conduct activities that promote the mission and fulfill the goals of APHA. There are 27 Sections that represent major public health disciplines or public health programs. These sections are designed to allow members with shared interests to come together to develop scientific program content, policy papers in their areas of interest or fields of practice, provide for professional and social networking, career development and mentoring.Sections include: Maternal and Child Health, HIV/AIDS, Community Planning and Policy Development, Occupational Health and Safety, International Health and School Health Education and Services.
Special Primary Interest Groups (SPIGs) are an open group of self-selected APHA members who share a common occupational discipline or program area interest and elect no primary Section affiliation.
SPIGs include: Alternative and Complementary Health Practices, Ethics, Health Law, Laboratory, Physical Activity and Veterinary Public Health.
Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section
The Public Health Education and Health Promotion SectionPublic Health Education and Health Promotion Section
The Public Health Education and Health Promotion section is one of 25 primary sections and special interest groups within the American Public Health Association ....
is one of 27 primary sections and special interest groups within APHA. In fact, PHEHP is the largest section, with around 3,000 members. Like all sections within APHA, PHEHP is governed by a group of elected volunteers who hold offices for terms of varying length. Section officers include a chair, chair-elect, secretary, secretary-elect and immediate past chair. Section councilors and governing councilors represent the members and concerns of the section within the larger organization. Section committees, led by volunteers from the Section, are where the "work" of the Section is accomplished. Explore this website to learn about these and other opportunities to get involved in PHEHP.
Awards
National APHA AwardsThe accomplishments of public health leaders are recognized through an awards program. APHA presents its national awards during its annual meeting.
Section Awards
Being honored by your professional peers has very special meaning to people. Acknowledge some of the professionals who have been important to your career or who, in your mind, have made important contributions to the field by nominating them for one of these prestigious awards.
The Public Health Education and Health Promotion section recognizes individuals in six award categories. The awards include:
Current Section Members Eligible
1. Distinguished Career Award
Distinguished Career Award
APHA-PHEHP Distinguished Career Award is given for outstanding contribution to the practice and profession of health education, health promotion and/or health communications. The awardee must have earned a terminal degree 20 years or more prior to receiving the award....
– for outstanding contribution to the practice and profession of health education, health promotion and/or health communications. The awardee must have earned a terminal degree 10 years or more prior to receiving the award.
2. Early Career Award – for outstanding contribution to the practice and profession of health education, health promotion and/or health communications. The awardee must have earned a terminal degree less than 10 years prior to receiving the award.
Current Section and/or APHA member eligible
1. Mayhew Derryberry Award – for outstanding contribution of behavioral scientists to the field of health education, health promotion and/or health communications research or theory.
2. Mohan Sing Award – for the use of humor to promote better health education, health promotion and/or health communications practice.
3. Sarah Mazelis Award – for an outstanding practitioner in health education. The awardee will have spent at least five years as a health education, health promotion and/or health communications practitioner.
4. Rogers Award – for outstanding contribution to advancing the study and/or practice of public health communication.
Sponsored Awards
Rema Lapouse Award
Rema Lapouse Award
This award is granted to an outstanding scientist in the area of psychiatric epidemiology in recognition of "significant contributions to the scientific understanding of the epidemiology and control of mental disorders. It is sponsored by the Mental Health, Epidemiology, and Statistics Sections of...
– sponsored by the Mental Health, Epidemiology, and Statistics Sections, this award is granted to an outstanding scientist in the area of psychiatric epidemiology
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
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Publications
The American Public Health Association publishes periodicals and more than 70 public health books. Several of these are the reference source for their specialty within public health practice. Some publication titles include:- Control of Communicable Diseases ManualControl of Communicable Diseases ManualThe Control of Communicable Diseases Manual is one of the most widely recognized reference volumes on the topic of infectious diseases. It is useful for physicians, epidemiologists, global travelers, emergency volunteers and all who have dealt with or might have to deal with public health...
- Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater
- American Journal of Public HealthAmerican Journal of Public HealthThe American Journal of Public Health is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Public Health Association covering health policy and public health. The journal was established in 1911 and its stated mission is "to advance public health research, policy, practice, and...
- The Nation's HealthThe Nation's HealthThe Nation's Health is the monthly newspaper of the American Public Health Association, a source of news from and for the public health field...
Additionally, they are an active partner in the release of America's Health Rankings
America's Health Rankings
America's Health Rankings is an annual report that measures the overall healthiness of the United States using a comprehensive set of related health determinants and outcomes. The report provides state-specific rankings from 1 to 50 across a variety of national health benchmarks...
; working with United Health Foundation and Partnership for Prevention.
Annual Meeting
The APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition is the largest meeting of public health professionals in the world. The meeting draws more than 13,000 attendees, offers 700 booths of exhibits and features more than 1,000 scientific sessions. Presentations cover new research and trends in public health science and practice.National Public Health Week
National Public Health Week is an observance organized annually by APHA during the first full week of April. The week’s activities are designed to highlight issues that are important to improving the public’s health.Leadership
- Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, FACEP (E), Executive Director
- Carmen Rita Nevarez, MD, MPH, President
Campaign for Children's Health Care
The APHA is a partner in the Campaign for Children's Health CareCampaign for Children's Health Care
The Campaign for Children's Health Care is an American issue advocacy campaign dedicated to making high-quality, affordable health insurance coverage for all of America's children a top national priority...
, a multi-year campaign to raise awareness about the problem of uninsured children in America – a growing social concern.
Climate Change and Public Health
In 2007, the APHA issued a policy statement entitled Addressing the Urgent Threat of Global Climate Change to Public Health and the Environment:- The long-term threat of global climate changeClimate changeClimate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
to global health is extremely serious and the fourth IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeIntergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and...
) report and other scientific literature demonstrate convincingly that anthropogenic GHG emissions are primarily responsible for this threat….US policy makers should immediately take necessary steps to reduce US emissions of GHGs, including carbon dioxideCarbon dioxideCarbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
, to avert dangerous climate changeAvoiding Dangerous Climate ChangeThe related terms "avoiding dangerous climate change" and "preventing dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system" date to 1995 and earlier, in the Second Assesment Report of the International Panel on Climate Change and previous science it cites.In 2002, the United Nations...
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Color Standards
There a color standard, made from dilutions of a PtPT
PT, Pt, or pt may stand for:* Pacific Time zone* Pro tempore, a Latin phrase "for the time being"/temporary* Physical Training, an abbreviation in the United States military- Units :...
-Co
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
solution, described by Dr. A. Hazen in American Chemical Journal, in 1892, adopted in Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Waste Water, made by APHA, sometimes referred as Pt-Co/Hazen/APHA Colour.
See also
- Dr. Helen Rodriguez-TriasHelen Rodriguez-TriasDr. Helen Rodriguez-Trias M.D. was a pediatrician, educator and women rights activist. She was the first Latina president of the American Public Health Association, a founding member of the Women's Caucus of the American Public Health Association, and the recipient of the Presidential Citizen's...
- First Hispanic president of the American Public Health Association and recipient of the Presidential Citizens MedalPresidential Citizens MedalThe Presidential Citizens Medal is the second highest civilian award in the United States, second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is awarded by the President of the United States, and may be given posthumously....
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