Washington, D.C., August 31, 2005 -
Public health leaders from Arizona and across the country will speak at the 77th annual meeting of the Arizona Public Health Association (AzPHA), which will be held Sept. 7-9, 2005, in Sedona, Ariz. The theme of the American Public Health Association affiliate's conference is "The Built Environment: Improving the Public's Health by Design." The conference will draw 150 Arizona public health professionals and cover issues including diabetes, physical fitness and obesity.
Speakers include Walter Tsou, MD, MPH, president of the American Public Health Association (APHA) and Philadelphia-based public health consultant. In a presentation entitled "Public Health at the Crossroads," Tsou will cover APHA's top priorities, which are access to care, eliminating health disparities and building the public health infrastructure.
David Olds, PhD, professor of pediatrics, psychiatry, preventive medicine and nursing at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the director of the university's Prevention Research Center for Family and Child Health will also speak. He will discuss the "Nurse-Family Partnership: From Science to Practice."
Susan Gerard, MBA, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, will speak about public health issues affecting Arizona.
"The conference will discuss ways to improve the public's health through the design of health communities, which can be accomplished through the development of coalitions and partnerships in communities and the state," said Elsie Eyer, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association. "This approach can create livable communities that impact obesity and the fitness level of children and adults, and improve other health conditions. This is the first conference that AzPHA has partnered with city planning officials to address community health issues."
The Arizona Public Health Association has been active since 1928, serving the community through advocacy, education and professional development in the public health field. For more information on the Arizona Public Health Association, including a full schedule of the annual meeting, visit .