By Alissa Bilfield, MSc
Technology is omnipresent in all of our lives – in fact, aside from the precious hours we spend sleeping, there is barely a time when we are separated from one of our favorite screens (smartphone, computer, ipad, etc.). This is why like-minded public health professionals have been innovatively integrating technology-based components into cutting edge health interventions. I had the opportunity to be surrounded by a very inspirational group working at the forefront of this trend at the Youth, Health, and Technology Conference in San Francisco, April 24-26th, 2016. In addition to having the opportunity to present about using an online training platform to certify and empower a network of food literacy educators around the world through my work as co-founder of The Cookbook Project, I was able to learn about other effective approaches using mobile apps and 1- and 2-way text-messaging.
One of the sessions that was particularly interesting was a session on text-messaging interventions. The panel was diverse, representing initiatives happening in south San Francisco, rural Ethiopia, and across a network of geographically diverse Native American communities. What I appreciated most about the panel format of the session was that it allowed for dynamic interaction between the panel members, as they presented, reflected, and fielded questions from the audience and each other. This session, like many others, was focused on sharing best-practices, and provided plenty of opportunity for audience interaction. I brought away many important insights into translating these approaches into my public health area of interest, which includes community nutrition and food systems.
Alissa Bilfield is a second year PhD student at Tulane concentrating on Nutrition. She is currently preparing for her comprehensive exams, and plans to graduate in 2017/18. She is interested in food choice behavior, food culture, food policy, and sustainable agriculture. She loves cooking from scratch, practicing yoga daily, rock climbing, and hiking.
