The University of Georgia’s College of Public Health will host the eighth annual State of the Public’s Health Conference on Oct. 22 at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel.

For the past seven years, the conference has brought together the public health workforce, policymakers, academia, community-based organizations and the business community to share expertise and work toward collaborative solutions to improve the health of all Georgians.

This year’s program will address issues such as Georgia’s response to HIV, equal access to health care, strengthening academic and community partnerships, innovative solutions to improve physical and mental health and more.

Marsha Davis, dean of the College of Public Health and conference organizer, said that the conference’s focus on practice makes this event unique among public health meetings.

“This conference was never designed to be a traditional gathering,” she said. “Instead, we encourage anyone from any field who is working to improve health in their communities to participate and share their experiences—what works, what doesn’t and how can we do better? It will take all perspectives to make the improvements we want to see in Georgia.”

In addition to interactive breakout sessions and poster presentations, the conference will feature a special panel on health misinformation, its impact on the public’s health and best practices the public health workforce can adopt to address misinformation.

Panel participants include three faculty experts from UGA and one UGA alumna:

• Glen Nowak, director of the Center for Health & Risk Communication in UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication;
• Michael Cacciatore, associate professor of public relations at UGA’s Grady College;
• Leslie Rodriguez, lead health communications specialist, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC; and
• Soroya McFarlane, assistant professor of communication studies in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

Karen Holbrook, regional chancellor at the University of South Florida-Manatee and former UGA provost, will give the closing presentation.

The health misinformation panel will begin at 10 a.m., and Holbrook’s talk will begin at 4:30 p.m. Open to the public, both events will take place in Mahler Hall.

– Lauren Baggett

Posted on October 11, 2019.

Read the news release at UGA Today.