PAHO and the American Public Health Association Strengthen Partnership

Scene from the meeting Dr. Jon Kim Andrus, Deputy Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), hosted the first quarterly meeting with the President of the American Public Health Association (APHA), Dr. Georges Benjamin, as part of APHA's interest in strengthening and institutionalizing the partnership between the two organizations.

Washington, D.C., 9 September 2010 (PAHO)—Dr. Jon Kim Andrus, Deputy Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), hosted the first quarterly meeting with the President of the American Public Health Association (APHA), Dr. Georges Benjamin, as part of APHA's interest in strengthening and institutionalizing the partnership between the two organizations.

From the left: Dr. Georges Benjamin, Dr. Jon Andrus, Mr. Marcelo D'Agostino. Photo Harold Ruiz-PAHO/WHO

Some of the topics covered included an update on PAHO's participation in a Border Health panel to take place during APHA's annual meeting in Denver on 9 November 2010, and a proposal to build a social network of public health associations to improve knowledge sharing and access to high quality information among public health professionals and institutions throughout the Americas, presented by PAHO's manager of Knowledge, Management and Communication, Marcelo D'Agostino.

PAHO also offered to involve APHA in its efforts to develop a strategic alignment of resources along the US-Mexico Border and invited them to a discussion in March 2011. For his part, Dr. Benjamin extended an invitation for Dr. Andrus to become an Honorary Vice-President for Latin American and the Caribbean, an offer gladly accepted by PAHO's Deputy Director.

At the meeting Dr. Georges Benjamin noted that the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) will be moving its headquarters to Geneva, and cited some of the activities carried on by APHA. The annual meeting of the Association in 2011 will be held in Washington, DC with 'Healthy Communities Promote Healthy Minds & Bodies' as its theme. APHA National Public Health Week theme for this year is Injuries.

PAHO, established in 1902, is the world's oldest public health organization. It works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of the people of the Americas and serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The American Public Health Association is the oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world and has been working to improve public health since 1872.

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