Many of our students attended this year’s meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA), held in San Diego, November 10 – 14. What follows is a post from one of these attendees.
By Tracey Estriplet, BS
This year I had the greatest opportunity to attend my first American Public Health Association conference. Before my arrival in sunny San Diego, CA, I was very apprehensive about what to expect at the massive public health conference. Walking into the convention center I felt nervous and anxious, but I soon found myself comfortable and thrilled to sit in during the different presentations.
Before my departure I planned to attend many MCH-focused oral and poster presentations but once I sat in on a few, I quickly realized that there were so many more topics I would like to explore and learn about. I found myself in presentations about breastfeeding, the opioid epidemic, immigration, and paternal involvement in MCH. I watched these presentations in awe because I had never thought to really delve into these topics in the scope of public health. It opened up my eyes to many different problems that are public health problems. The discussions were rich and informative and left me feeling both joyous and defeated after every session. I was excited to learn about these new areas of public health but the conversations around each topic seemed like there was no real forward progress in these areas for a long time. It is now a driving factor for me to invest my time and education learning about immigration, the opioid epidemic, and breastfeeding advocacy to incorporate into my future field work.
In every session I attended I was surrounded by the very best and brightest professionals the field has to offer and I was in complete awe. I sat in a room with Dr. Joia Crear-Perry and Breana Lipscomb, who both elegantly spoke about the disparities and trauma black mothers face during their birthing experiences. Every session surpassed any expectations I had unknowingly set for them. In fact, the entire conference experience surpassed any and every expectation I had set for it. I left the conference with newfound knowledge and made some connections with professionals in the MCH field. All in all, APHA was wonderful and I am forever grateful to be a CEMCH Scholar and afforded the opportunity to have been in attendance.
Tracey Estriplet, BS in Health Education (MCH) from the illustrious Howard University, is a first year MPH student, concentrating in Maternal and Child Health. She plans to graduate in May 2020. Her interests in Public Health include maternal health in black and underserved communities, birthing justice and equity, postpartum care, and racial disparities.
