Treasure Joiner, BSPH
Thanks to Tulane’s Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference for the first time this past November in Washington D.C. The majority of the sessions I attended were about maternal and child health and sexual and reproductive health and rights. A few of the sessions I attended were about improving pregnancy outcomes, international reproductive and maternal health, increasing breastfeeding rates, and structural racism and health. The most impactful sessions I attended were the Maternal and Child Health Townhall and a session called Imprisonment: Challenges, Reintegration, Education, and Policy through a Human Rights Lens.
The Maternal and Child Health Townhall explored the future of maternal and child health under Project 2025. The purpose of this session was to equip public health professionals, students, and advocates with knowledge about the ways that Project 2025 impacts maternal and child health. We were also informed of strategies that we can collectively do to advocate and improve maternal and child health outcomes during these challenging times. I felt truly inspired by the panelists who spoke at this session and everyone who decided to show up, emphasizing our commitment to public health even as Project 2025 negatively impacts our work.
During the human rights and imprisonment session, I had the opportunity to listen to a panel of formerly incarcerated men who shared their personal stories about the ways that incarceration has impacted their lives. Listening to this panel was eye-opening because I was able to learn from their experiences and their commitment to supporting others in their communities who have been incarcerated. During this forum, I was also excited to see Regan Moss present our work on abortion doula care for incarcerated clients. The opportunity to present our work was a very rewarding experience.
Attending APHA made me motivated to continue advocating for others during this political climate. This conference reminded me that I want to contribute to improving the health and life outcomes of all people because it’s what we all deserve to have.
Treasure is a first-year MPH student in the Social, Behavioral, Population Sciences department, with a specialization in Maternal and Child Health. She plans to graduate in December 2026.
