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CONFERENCE REPORT |
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Year : 2007 | Volume
: 20
| Issue : 1 | Page : 19 |
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Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association
L Dow Velarde
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Date of Web Publication | 25-Jan-2013 |
Correspondence Address: L Dow Velarde 2400 Tucker NE, MSC09 5060, 87131-5267 Albuquerque, NM USA
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
How to cite this article: Velarde L D. Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association. Educ Health 2007;20:19 |
Finding Common Ground at APHA: Medicine and Public Health Initiative and the Network: TUFH
I attended the 139 th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Public Health Association (APHA), November, 2006, in Boston, Massachusetts. One workshop in particular drew my attention: the "Medicine and Public Health Initiative (MPHI) Update and Workshop," moderated by Jay H. Glasser, MS, PhD.
The MPHI began in 1994 as a collaborative endeavor among members of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Public Health Association. The primary goal of MPHI is to cooperatively link community, public health, and clinical individuals to comprehensive approaches for health. The initiative embraces the concept of interdisciplinary team work among medicine, public health professionals, and community partners to redefine systems of health and improve the health resources and outcomes of people locally, nationally and globally. MPHI foresees a new health care archetype for the 21 st century through participatory collaboration in education, practice and research. These concepts are aligned with the progressive thinking of the Network: Towards Unity for Health.
Three individual presenters discussed the progress, barriers, and methods for collaborating with interdisciplinary health professions in the states of California and Arizona in the United States; and between Pakistan and Asia. Aside from information that included progress and barriers associated with communication, collaboration, resources, ideologies, and policy development, another value in attending the workshop included sharing ideas; coming together as a cohesive group; and forming new bonds or networks. I found value in each presentation because while the goal is common among all the presenters, the avenues, methods, and strategies of each MPHI presenter were also unique to their locale. Lastly, sitting in a single room among individuals who see themselves as a village of interdisciplinary health professionals with a common goal, proved to be inspiring and invigorating. For more information about MPHI see: www.mphi.net
Lily Velarde
Department of Family Community Medicine (DFCM)
Faculty of the DFCM Masters of Public Health Program
University of New Mexico
USA
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