Hi Atlanta!

The Georgia Public Health Association held its annual meeting this week via Zoom. The president of the American Public Health Association, Nandi Marshall, provided the keynote address — fitting, as she serves as an associate dean at Georgia Southern University’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health. 

Marshall told the nearly 300 public health workers signing on for the conference that their work matters, even though “things are hard right now.” 

Here are three takeaways from her speech: 

• “Resist anticipatory obedience.” In other words, Marshall said, don’t change policies or programs just to meet the current perceived political environment. “Just because we think something might happen doesn't mean you need to change,” Marshall said. 

• “Unlearn” and “think outside the box.” Marshall encouraged public health workers to take a step back and see if there are new or better ways to do their work, even if that would mean change. 

• Center community knowledge. Marshall urged considering community members’ insights and perspectives as a form of expertise that is just as important, or even more important, than academic research or data. Engagement means more than just showing up, Marshall said; it means “moving toward community partnerships” and building trust and rapport. 

One fun fact I learned about Marshall is that her late father, Dr. Adewale Troutman, served as APHA president in 2013. 

GPHA typically meets annually at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. However, last year it canceled its meeting and this year it met virtually. 

That’s because the state Department of Public Health, which typically helps fund workers’ travel to the conference, put restrictions on paying for conference travel last year amid federal budget cuts. Since most GPHA members work for DPH, it was not financially feasible to hold the conference in person. 

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