The 2024 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo was held October 27-30 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Over the 4-day conference, the School of Public Health community was well-represented, with faculty, staff, students, and alumni speaking on panels, presenting at poster sessions, and gathering to celebrate one another’s accomplishments in the field.

At the School’s exhibit hall booth, new and old faces stopped by to reconnect with friends and colleagues, learn more about degree offerings, and hear about new initiatives and websites coming out of SPH, including the newly launched Public Health Conversation, the refreshed Public Health Post, and the upcoming Teaching Public Health (launching in 2025).

A couple of Online MPH students dropped by the SPH booth to take a photo with our iconic red letters. On left, Jessica Hooke, clinical rehab specialist and speech language pathologist at Orlando Health Institute for Advanced Rehabilitation, and on right, Lauren Vivian, co-founder and CEO of WePair Health.

Conference goers also stopped by to take a mental breather between sessions and make friendship bracelets (a la Taylor Swift) with—and for—their friends and colleagues. Bracelets featured people’s names, degrees, and institutions, as well as words and phrases that embody the work of public health, including “community,” “health for all,” “vote,” and “empathy.”

With a theme of rebuilding trust in public health and science, the conference allowed several members of the SPH community to bring their expertise to those outside of Boston. At left, Michael Stein, chair and professor of health law, policy & management, spoke about restoring the public’s trust on a key session panel focused on addressing critical issues in public health.

At right, Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz, chair and professor of community health sciences, led a discussion on the intersectional experiences of Latinos who are sexual and gender minorities. The session provided a number of recommendations for public health actions and research to improve this diverse population’s health outcomes.

At left, Lisa Sullivan, associate dean for education, moderated a panel discussion hosted by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH). As part of ASPPH’s Framing the Future 2030 initiative, panelists discussed their strategies, tools, and resources for building inclusive excellence in education, research, and practice.

At right, Dean Sandro Galea received the Wade Hampton Frost Lectureship Award from the Epidemiology Section. This is the oldest award given by the section, recognizing excellence in research and scholarship. Though not in attendance, Matthew Fox, professor of epidemiology and global health, also received the section’s Abraham Lilienfeld Award, which recognizes excellence in the teaching of epidemiology throughout the course of one’s career.

Mohammed Abba-Aji, a research fellow in epidemiology, received the Best Student Poster Award from the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section. The award is given in recognition of quality research on the problem of injury. Abba-Aji’s poster (right) explored gun ownership and purchase intentions in communities affected by mass shootings.

In a year of transition for the School, SPH alumni and friends gathered at the Hotel Ivy on Monday, October 28 to connect and catch up with old friends while celebrating one another’s achievements.