Several of our first-year MCH students attended the 2022 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting in Boston, MA from November 6-9. APHA was celebrating its 150 Years of Creating the Healthiest Nation: Leading the Path Toward Equity. What follows is a post from one of the attendees.
By Megan Cahalin, BSPH
The APHA conference was an undeniably beneficial opportunity. From learning new research on exciting topics, connecting with Tulane alums and others, trying food in a city I’d never been to, and even getting my steps in each day. As per usual with my personality, some of my best connections were made waiting in line for food.
At Starbucks, I connected with a representative from Commando, an LGBTQ+ Advertising Specialists company. After waiting 45 minutes together for my bacon gouda sandwich, we created a unique bond. Later in the day, while exploring the Public Health Expo, I ran into the Commando table and my line buddy himself. Seeing him finally get his coffee, we laughed over the whole encounter as I shifted the conversation to his company. Commando is an online advertising company that targets health messages to the LGBTQ+ community with culturally-relevant advertisements. I was very excited to see how a company used aspects of health communication to target a specific population which I advocate for frequently.
My next connection was formed in the line for Dunkin’ Donuts. Between scientific sessions, my sights were solely set on filling my never-ending hunger. So, off to Dunkin I went. As I swiftly walk across the street, I run into another fellow APHA conference attendee, made aware to me by the flapping of her lanyard name tag. Again, we connected over being starving. Later that day, I saw her carrying a little pink stuffed animal at the Expo. Knowing we were on friendly terms, I asked her what she was carrying and where she had gotten it. She kindly walked me over to a table full of people within her network from the National Coalition of STDs. They were working on an at-home self-testing STD kit to send nationwide, increasing access to testing and decreasing clients for overworked women’s clinics. One initiative that caught my eye was their STI reduction efforts, as this little pink stuffed animal is now my only focus. This little guy was a giant microbial rendering of the Syphilis Treponema pallidum. In efforts to get people talking about STDs, these stuffed Syphilis’ were adorable instead of something gross and elusive.
The people and companies I saw at APHA opened my eyes to what health communications can look like in the real world. It was inspiring to see how my passion for STI stigma reduction and LGBTQ+ advocacy work can be translated into targeted marketing.
Megan is a first-year combined BSPH/MPH degree student focusing on Maternal & Child Health. She plans to graduate with her MPH in May of 2024 and get her CHES certification. Megan is passionate about reproductive justice and sexual health education. She also loves cooking for her friends and heading to Body Shoppe for a workout class.
