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The American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Expo is one of the biggest public health conferences each year, bringing together thousands of professionals, educators, thought leaders and other public health stakeholders.

The them of APHA's 2023 Annual Meeting is "Creating the Healthiest Nation: Overcoming Social & Ethical Challenges." Read on to discover the three program focuses that can support teaching public health on display at the 2023 conference.

Disease Outbreak Readiness: Beyond Covid

COVID-19 offered many lessons about public health readiness for pandemics and outbreaks, and in 2022, Monkeypox emerged internationally, offering additional insights. The APHA's Annual Meeting and Expo will feature many sessions of its Scientific Program as well as Coffee Talks that can benefit health educators. 

The "COVID-19: The Next Phase" track at the meeting offers several sessions which could inform class preparation and curricula in the next year. The program offers sessions on the spread and surveillance of COVID-19, a variety of case studies, and sessions on health equity and COVID-19.  

Additional sessions focus on the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on global health equity and global health partnerships, offering potential ways to expand student knowledge of global health and issues of equity and collaboration between public health workers, officials, and communities.

Global Health and Climate Change

The APHA's Annual Meeting offers many sessions focusing on global health as well as climate change, including emerging partnerships, innovative approaches, and analyses of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on global health equity. International leaders and emerging professionals will be at the meeting, reporting on current and planned partnerships in global health advocacy.

Along with relevant and contemporary presentations on specific issues related to global health, the APHA Annual Meeting featured presentations from diverse international health experts from all world regions, as well as a specific program track for international health. Together, these sessions offered an excellent menu to choose from for inspiration for the classroom, including storytelling and vignettes that can offer lived experiences that can bring global health topics alive for students. One session focused on creating and distributing short form audio documentaries on global health, which could potentially inform future lessons or assignments.

There was also a spotlight on curricular strategies that focus on ways to decolonize global health and to develop equitable approaches to health education. Other sessions of potential interest included case studies on innovative partnerships in global health education and health education activities for student-led activism and public information and education.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion & Racial Equity

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and racial equity are strong focuses at this year's APHA Annual Meeting and Expo. From sessions that offer insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted individuals with intellectual disabilities to a conscious program focus on inclusiveness among speakers and presentations, the conference provides inspiration for lessons on health justice, structural inequities, and opportunities for change.

Educating students regarding the social determinants of health is both challenging and rewarding. Students may be engaged by learning about student-led approaches at several international universities which advocate for health equity and racial justice. Featured program sessions had a strong focus on DEI and Health Equity, from presentations on recent changes in the U.S. policy regarding reproductive health to a focus on "Making Good Trouble Now," with a variety of speakers emphasizing social justice movements and health.

Equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice begin in our classrooms and our programs. The APHA Annual Meeting and Expo is the year's most important event for health educators and others in the field of public and global health for a good reason: it is bringing the world together with the most crucial information and opportunities for collaboration and learning to improve health worldwide.