By Julia Fleckman, MPH
I was really excited about the opportunity to attend the APHA conference in Boston this year, and I was definitely able to take a lot away from it. The chance to interact with a variety of people that work in public health was energizing and focusing. I was able to attend larger, more formal settings on innovative research in my field, as well as smaller round table sessions where I could directly interact with researchers and discuss the impacts of our work.
What I found to be most exciting and informative, was the opportunity to interact with other doctoral students and younger academic professionals at different stages of their career who worked in my research area. We were able to share ideas and talk about future collaborations, and I was also able to get advice on advancing my research and career. It was exciting to see the advances people are making in my field of interest, and generate ideas for the direction my own research could go in as I progress through my academic career.
I also found the poster presentations very helpful, and was again able to network with a variety of people in my field and ask questions about their projects. I was inspired by the overall passion people had for their work, and their ability to convey that enthusiasm to those around them. I hope that I now have the ability to create a more engaging poster presentation because of this experience.
I hope to attend APHA for many years to come as I follow my academic career path, and I think I will find new and engaging ways to learn from the conference with each stage of the path. Just being in the same building with so many people that are passionate about public health and excited to be there was reinvigorating!
Julia Fleckman is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences. Her research interests include social determinants of health, social epidemiology, health disparities, adolescent development, and HIV and STI prevention.
