Washington, D.C., March 24, 2005 - Philadelphia public health consultant and American Public Health Association (APHA) President Walter Tsou, MD, MPH, will speak about the challenges of the public health agenda at the 66th annual Public Health Association of New York City meeting, to be held March 31, 2005, in New York. The meeting, themed "The Agenda for Public Health in New York," will draw more than 150 public health professionals from across the New York area to honor six awardees for their important contributions to public health and to provide an opportunity to explore the future of public health.
Tsou, who became APHA president in 2004, previously served as health commissioner of the city of Philadelphia and the founding medical director/deputy for personal health services at the Montgomery County Health Department in Norristown, PA. He is on the adjunct faculty of the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University School of Public Health. In 2005, he was a visiting lecturer at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School for International and Public Affairs.
"I am excited to be able to offer both a local and national perspective on the public health challenges that New York and the rest of the nation are facing," said Tsou. "Public health today faces many challenges, from public health preparedness to disparities in health care. It is imperative that we work towards improving the health of all Americans."
PHANYC is requesting more funding to strengthen New York's public health infrastructure through its initiative, "Developing an Agenda for a Healthy New York." With an initial grant from The New York Community Trust, the initiative will provide a forum to bring together diverse constituencies to identify public health goals for the year 2010 in many areas, including: nutrition and physical activity; environmental health; reproductive health; substance abuse and mental health; education; and housing.
The annual meeting will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Sal Anthony's Restaurant, 133 Mulberry St.
Tsou will also deliver an address, "Fighting for Public Health," from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. April 1, 2005 at Cherkasky Auditorium, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY. For more information about the speaking engagement, contact Paul Meissner, (718) 920-7802, pmeissne@montefiore.org.
PHANYC, one of the oldest and largest affiliates of APHA, has represented public health interests in the greater New York area since 1938. PHANYC's more than 300 members, both individual and organizational, include health care providers, administrators, researchers, scientists, students and those interested in the public health field. For more information, visit www.phanyc.org or contact executive director Amy J. Schwartz at (212) 722-1063 or info@phanyc.org.