Conference Learning

Earlier this month, I attended the state public health association meeting. The location changes each year, moving around the state in a effort to engage a broader audience of individuals who work in local health departments. Attendees included dental assistants, directors and administrators of the health department, environmental engineers, public health nurses, medical directors, and health educators; to name a few.

I've now been to such meetings in three different states over my career. These state meetings are interesting in several ways.

The ratio of practitioners to academics favors practitioners, unlike many large public health conferences. What that means is the conversation differs from what you hear at the large academic conferences. The conversation stays close to "what does this mean for agency and my clients?" The desire and inclination to mimic a successful neighbor creeps into the thinking. While this maybe helpful, it may not be completely thoughtful. It does reflect the reality that the most visible evidence is likely to be what my immediate peers are doing, rather than the latest RCT published in an expensive, inaccessible academic journal.

The scope of problems stays local, not national or global. Local epidemiological data guide attention mainly to health conditions for which the local situation is near the bottom (worst).  The thinking takes the form of: If the problem is not in my backyard, I don't have the energy, resources, or time to worry about it.  This is by no means a critique. When resources are tight, it's a practical approach.

The other interesting angle centers around an underlying desire to find "what works." This might include finding ways to leverage connections to academics. Across the nation the culture has been shifting away from "ivory tower vs real work" toward "let's collaborate." Naturally, such a culture shift take time for complete uptake. But, I view the shift as a positive one, and one that I tried to help along.

Going to such meetings is always humbling for me.  I enjoy being reminded of what the details really look like. And, I have multiple opportunities to silently practice empathy.