By Lisa Goldenhar, HBHE 2nd Year

The 135th Annual American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference was a great introduction for HBHE students into the professional world of public health.  At APHA, students were able to network with School of Public Health (SPH) Alumni, explore career possibilities, and learn about new advances in the field of public health. 

Many students chose to start the conference by attending a scientific or poster session.  Although some students found that it was a little overwhelming to choose just one session from the extensive list, they all agreed that these sessions were both extremely informative and interesting. The students also found that what they heard gave them confidence in the education they were receiving at SPH.

Terri Ridenour, along with her fellow classmates from HBHE 641: Materials & Methods, Sara Abelson, Andi Charlton, and Sarah Segerlind, were selected to present their work, Connecting With Good Health: Podcasting as a Means of Providing Health Education on College Campuses, at APHA.   Ridenour, a student in her final semester at SPH, explained that, “Having the opportunity to present our work, gave us recognition and validation as professionals in the field of public health.  It was confirming to realize that we have a strong academic program at the University of Michigan and the caliber of work that we are doing in graduate school is right up there with what is being presented at APHA.” 

In addition to attending sessions, students felt that one of the most important aspects of attending APHA was having the opportunity to network with SPH alumni and other public health professionals.   Kia Jayaratne, 2nd year HBHE student, felt that networking was very worthwhile, “I thought it was amazing. I know a lot of people who turned in resumes to the top people of different fields.  A lot of people made at least one contact.” Rebecca Goberstein, 2nd year HBHE, whose main purpose for attending the conference was in fact to network agreed. “I definitely made some connections and have gotten some phone interviews out of it.  I just needed to put myself out there.”   In addition, the opportunity to meet with public health professionals and learn about various organizations gave students a better sense of what direction to head when they graduate from SPH. 

Students also had the opportunity to network with HBHE alumni at the “Staying Connected” reception.  Many students were exhausted from a long day, but everyone was excited to speak with graduates of the program and see how they were using their degrees.  Ridenour found it enjoyable to meet and speak with SPH alumni stating, “It’s cool to hear and learn about what everyone’s doing right now.  It gives you hope that there are jobs available.”  In addition to learning more about what one can do with degree from HBHE, students thought it was nice to catch up with recent alumni and SPH professors who were in attendance at APHA.

Overall, students found it extremely valuable and worthwhile to attend APHA for networking, learning, and just getting a sense of what is out there in the field of public health.  Kia sums up her experience well stating, “My favorite part was seeing how many different types of people are working in the field of public health and striving to make public health better in this country.  It was a great experience overall, especially to bond with SPH people in a different way and experience it together.”