Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Preconference Courses & Workshops More than 450 attendees enhanced their conference experience with 1 of 14 pre- conference offerings from Saturday, July 13, to Monday, July 15. Once again, we offered the REHS/RS and CP-FS Review Courses to help attendees prepare for their respective credential exams. The REHS/RS Review Course prepared 23 participants for the exam, while the CP-FS Review Course prepared 11 individuals. We expanded our water quality offer- ings for attendees and collaborated with valuable partners to introduce new work- shops. The Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code hosted a 1-day course that provided essential training to 12 indi- viduals on inspecting aquatic venues. The National Onsite Wastewater Association educated 18 participants on septic system fundamentals and management. Round- ing out our water quality courses was a workshop attended by nearly 50 partici- pants who were equipped with strategies and tools to assist individuals and com- munities reliant on private wells in recov- ering from natural disasters. Food safety remained a key topic for attendees and we offered two workshops that focused on this area. For the fourth consecutive year, we partnered with FDA to present the National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards Audit Self-Assessment and Verification Audit Workshop. Participants received an over- view of the Program Standards criteria and engaged in hands-on opportunities to conduct self-assessments or verifica - tion audits. New this year, we introduced ER31: Food Safety in the Event of a Disas- ter Tabletop Exercise, which provided practical, hands-on experience to ensure food safety in the aftermath of a disaster. In the highly popular workshop, Over- coming Burnout in Environmental Health, our members participated in an exclusive 4-hr session led by keynote speaker Dr. Lucy Houghton. Attendees gained valu- able insight into managing the intense demands of working on the front lines of public health. More than 50 affiliate presidents and their representatives convened at a pre- conference workshop to engage in learn- ing and collaboration. They explored the value of being a NEHA affiliate, delv - ing into the benefits and opportunities that provides. They also examined ways to enhance education and training and shared innovative ideas and best prac-
Students Students continue to be an important part of our community and we were excited that 98 students attended the 2024 AEC. To recognize this key group of future professionals, we held an evening Student Welcome Reception immedi- ately following the Environmental Health Photo Exhibit on Tuesday, July 16. The event was held at the conference center. To encourage networking conversations, attendees were encouraged to wear leis of various colors representing their areas of focus or interest in environmental health. The lively event offered students the opportunity to connect with our lead- ership and get acquainted with the pro- grams and services we offer for the next generation of environmental health pro- fessionals at the AEC and throughout the year. NEHA Past President Vince Radke, our generous supporter of student efforts, donated $500 in Visa gift cards as a door prize for students participating in the networking activity. The National Environmental Public Health Internship Program (NEPHIP) pro - vided travel awards for 15 current and former interns to attend the 2024 AEC. Daneen Farrow-Collier, deputy branch chief of the Water, Food, and Environmen- tal Health Services Branch within NCEH at CDC, spoke to event attendees about NEPHIP’s impact on the field of environ - mental health and honored the students who received travel awards. The win- ners of the Student Research Competition were also recognized at the event. Further, Larry Ramdin, NEHA board member and chair of the NEHA/AAS Scholarship Com - mittee, presented the winners of the five scholarships offered in 2024. This number represents an expansion of the scholar- ship program by increasing the scholar- ships awarded from three in 2023 to five in 2024. The amount of each scholarship was also increased, doubling the total invest- ment in students from $9,050 annually to $16,800 this year. Recipients of all these honors are listed on pages 58 and 59.. We also showcased the research and work of our student attendees at the 2024 AEC. More than 20 student posters were displayed at the in-person Exhibit Hall and 30 posters were displayed in the virtual Poster Hall. Student poster presenters provided insight into the lat- est research on a variety of topics from microbial contamination and health equity to septic systems.
tices. Additionally, the workshop aimed to foster greater synergy between us and our state partners to encourage collabo- ration and the creation of stronger part- nerships. We also honored the Florida Environmental Health Association with a Certificate of Achievement to recognize the 75th anniversary of their Annual Edu - cation Meeting. We again collaborated with ecoAmer- ica to host the ever-popular Climate for Health Ambassador Training. Nearly 50 participants gained knowledge, hands-on experience, and resources to speak and act confidently on climate change and related solutions. Following the Ambassa- dor Training, the NEHA Climate Committee introduced a new workshop that explored the role of environmental health programs in climate change. A total of 75 participants gained valuable insight into the chal- lenges posed by air pollution and rising temperatures related to climate change. We continued to offer world-class pre- conference sessions on a variety of topics. We hosted a workshop that delved into how to advance environmental health policy without lobbying. The workshop equipped 15 participants with tools and resources to advocate for policy improve- ments and inform policymakers on enhancing programs to better address environmental public health needs. Our 2-day Body Art Facility Inspection Train- ing educated 21 professionals on the fun- damentals of inspecting body art facilities and covered topics such as health risks, communication, infection control, inspec- tion procedures, equipment review, and more. Additionally, more than 12 par- ticipants attended our workshop on influ - encing inspection outcomes, where they learned the importance of effective com- munication in achieving positive inspec- tion results.
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November 2024 • Journal of Environmental Health
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