Many of our students attended this year’s meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA), held in Atlanta, November 4 – 8. What follows is a post from one of these attendees.
By Faruq Sarumi, BSPH
The APHA Conference enlightened me on the importance of community in every sense of the word. Within the public health field, we are a community that communicates and collaborates across hundreds of cultures, universities, health systems, countries, and more. APHA made me realize how small the public health community can be at times. The need for collaborations on research, grants or policy within our field allows us to hold real important relationships, with the mission of creating a healthier environment and world.
During my time at the conference, I networked with public health workers from different backgrounds, each with skills to contribute to our community. I have kept in close contact with my former public health classmates at UIC and Columbia. It was an amazing experience to be in the same space with people who carried the same public health mission. The conference created opportunities to socialize and network with renowned public health officials and researchers. I am excited to say that I wish to one day become an integral part of this community, like every other member.
My favorite portion of the conference was the Black Feminism Theory roundtable discussions. Sister Song, a leading organization on gender equality, held roundtable discussions with various studies related to health disparities among women of color, and the application of black feminist theories on these social issues. During this session, I realized the invaluable contribution of public health on social justices issues. Public health allows us to shed light on social issues through scientific and humanitarian lenses combined. I am looking forward to APHA every year from now on. I am thankful for this life changing experience and to be the newest addition to the public health community.
Faruq Sarumi is a first-year Global Maternal and Child Health student at Tulane University, in the Global and Community Health Behavior Department. He plans on graduating in December 2018. Faruq is also a full-time health promotion specialist at the Tulane School of Medicine within the Pediatrics Adolescent Department. His interests includes reproductive justice, adolescent sexual health, HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ community, infant mortality, maternal morbidity, and other social issues related to maternal and child health. He loves to read, volunteers, and socialize during his free time.
