Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, APPAM is committed to the world-class conferences you've been used to from us.
The 2020 APPAM International Conference is still going to take place on July 23 – 24, 2020, but it will be virtual. This decision was made after consultation with our co-hosts, American University and University of Toronto, and after taking into account some crucial aspect of meeting in person.
The most important thing for APPAM is the health and safety of our members and attendees, and a large gathering like the International Conference would have been logistically difficult to carry on without endangering the well-being of conference-goers. In addition many countries, states and localities still have travel restrictions in place that would have made attendance difficult for a number of interested scholars. Further, academic institutions have announced steep budget cuts and strict spending requirements, making travel practically impossible for their employees.
Healthy public policy, or the consideration of population health and health equity in all areas of policy, is vital to the achievement of sustainable and healthy communities. Policies affecting food systems, housing, education, immigration, transportation, employment and social assistance impact the social determinants of health and can have intended and unintended impacts on health and equity. This conference will showcase research examining how programs and policies affect health-related behaviors and outcomes, as well as inquiry into the development and analysis of healthy public policy. Policies and programs studied may have the objective of directly improving health or may affect health indirectly. The year 2020 seems to be a perfect storm for this conversation, as American University's Dr. Alison Jacknowitz, and University of Toronto's Dr. Sara Allin, argue in a guest blog for APPAM.
More info here.