American Public Health Association Information & American Public Health Association Links at HealthHaven.com

For the American Paint Horse registry, see APHA (horse).

The American Public Health Association (APHA) is Washington, D.C.-based professional organization for public health professionals in the United States. Founded in 1872 by Dr. Stephen Smith, APHA has more than 30,000 members worldwide. The Association defines itself as being "the oldest, largest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world." It defines its mission as: "The association works to protect all Americans and their communities from preventable, serious health threats. APHA represents a broad array of health officials, educators, environmentalists, policy-makers and health providers at all levels working both within and outside governmental organizations and educational institutions."^[1]

[edit] Sections

There are 25 primary 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 serve as the primary professional units of the Association and conduct activities that promote the mission and fulfill the goals of APHA. Sections create a variety of opportunities for member involvement, thus making the APHA experience richer for individuals who have the opportunity to attend and choose to interact with their primary Sections.

[edit] Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section

Public Health Education and Health Promotion is one of 25 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, lead by volunteers from the Section, are where the "work" of the Section is accomplished. Explore this website to learn about these and other opporutnities to get involved in PHEHP.

[edit] Section Awards

Section Awards ^[2] 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 – 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.

[edit] Campaign for Children's Health Care

The APHA is a partner in the Campaign for Children's Health Care, a multi-year campaign to raise awareness about the problem of uninsured children in America – a growing social concern.

[edit] 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 change to global health is extremely serious and the fourth IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) 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 dioxide, to avert dangerous climate change.^[3]

[edit] Sponsored awards

Rema Lapouse Award – sponsored by the Mental Health, Epidemiology, and Statistics Sections, this award is granted to an outstanding scientist in the area of psychiatric epidemiology.

[edit] Color Standarts

There a color standart, made from dilutions of a Pt-Co 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 refered as Pt-Co/Hazen/APHA Colour.

[edit] See also

American Journal of Public Health

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[0] APHA: American Public Health Association

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[2] American Public Health Association Policy Statement

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