Hundreds to gather for public health conference in Ames

More than 500 public health professionals are expected to attend the two-day Iowa Governor's Conference on Public Health April 17 and 18 at the Scheman Conference Center in Ames. Featuring more than 40 educational sessions, the conference theme is ‘Creating Change by Building Healthy Communities.'

Emily Friedman, an independent writer, lecturer and health policy and ethics analyst is also scheduled to speak at the conference. She is most noted for her work in health policy, health care reform initiatives, health care trends and social ethics of health care. Ms. Friedman has written more than 800 articles and editorials over the past 35 years. Among her many awards, in 2011 and 2012, she was named one of the “Top Five Speakers in Health Care” by Speaking.com.

Dr. Richard J. Jackson, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, is also a featured speaker at the conference. Dr. Jackson has done extensive work in the impact of the environment on health, particularly as it relates to children. Much of his focus is on how the ‘built environment,' including architecture and urban planning, affects health. “We can't sit at the end of the disease pipeline and deal with chronic diseases like obesity or diabetes and think we can deal with it just in the doctor's office,” said Dr. Jackson. “We have to think about the many factors that went into these diseases before the individual ended up at the doctor. For instance, making sure children are able to walk or bicycle safely to school, or ensuring people have ways to get to work other than using their car.”

This year, conference participants will be able to share insights through a special #IAGovCPH Twitter hash tag. For more information about the Iowa Governor's Conference on Public Health, visit www.iowapha.org/Default.aspx?pageId=127969. For information on IDPH's efforts to build healthy communities, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/PWI/Communities.aspx.