By Ashley Fehringer, BS
Prior to the start of this conference, I was excited but overwhelmed by the enormity of the APHA conference. There were so many things that I wanted to see and do and I wish I had three more of me so that I could go to all scientific sessions that interested me and still spend ample time at the expo. But even with just one of me, I managed to gain a lot of insight and new ideas from this year’s APHA conference.
Right from the start I was inspired by the opening session. The current president of the APHA gave a passionate speech about why we do what we do that nearly brought me to tears. And Isabel Wilkerson spoke with elegance about the journey of her book, The Warmth of Other Suns. I am pleased that I had the opportunity to read Ms. Wilkerson’s book before APHA, because the book complements many themes addressed throughout the conference and it gave me historical context to the current issues our country is facing with racial disparities in health.
My favorite session was put on by the March of Dimes Foundation. Of course I have heard of this foundation, but I was unaware of all it does to promote healthy moms and thus healthy babies. Professionally, I am interested in birth outcomes and how the health of the mother before, during and after the pregnancy can affect these outcomes. I learned about programs such as the Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait campaign and the Gulf Coast Region Mobile Health Care unit. I was particularly interested in the mobile care unit as I was unaware that such health clinics existed in the United States. The mobile unit brings quality pre- and postnatal care to underserved women in urban and rural settings. The clinic allows women to have successful pregnancies regardless of place and the care they provide is personal and makes a large difference in the lives of patients.
My take-home message from APHA is that there are so many things that I can do within the field of public health. I learned about many organizations that I never even knew existed and I learned about new approaches to changing health. I think this information is extremely important to me right now. As I have just started my master’s degree, I am still trying to determine what exactly I want to do with my degree and where I want to work. APHA did not give me all the answers, but it gave me more ideas and places to start looking.
Ashley Fehringer is a first-year MPH student and MCHLT scholar, concentrating in Maternal and Child Health.
