2019 Theme:

​Better Health Through Better Partnerships

Overview of Theme

The theme for the 2019 USPHS Scientific and Training Symposium highlights a theme of the Surgeon General’s, which is:  Better Health Through Better Partnerships. Health and wellness are not obtained solely by an individual’s efforts; rather, they are achieved in partnership with one’s family, healthcare providers, and community, among others. Similarly, prevention efforts are most successful when implemented in partnership, such as implementation of strategies at the national, state, tribal, local, and territorial levels. Partners that can influence health may include those in the public and private sectors, such as foundations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), law enforcement, and businesses; each has its own contribution to make toward optimal health of an individual, a community, and society. Engaging traditional and non-traditional partners will help maximize opportunities to achieve better health for all.

Scientific Tracks

• Track 1
• Track 2
• Track 3
• Track 4
• Track 5
• Track 6

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Track 1: Partnerships in Emergency Preparedness, Response and Deployments

Submissions can highlight areas of collaboration (within or across agencies or Services) at the national, state, tribal, local, territorial, and community levels related to emergency preparedness, responder readiness/wellness, or a deployment response to address emerging public health threats or timely community public health needs.

​Abstracts may highlight capacity-building for emergency preparedness, participation in deployments for agency or PHS, wellness and integration strategies for during and after deployments.​

Agenda to be posted once sessions are selected.

Track 2: Partnerships for Improved Health Service Access and Delivery

Health service access and delivery impacted may span the disease prevention, treatment, and recovery continuum with access broadly defined as the timely use of personal health services to achieve the best health outcomes.

Strategies may include administrative, scientific, and clinic-based efforts in diverse settings (local to international) aiming to optimize health outcomes, including disease prevention and treatment.

​Agenda to be posted once sessions are selected.

Track 3: Partnerships for Improving Community Health and Wellness

Submissions may focus on promoting community engagement by working collaboratively with local, state, and non-traditional partners (e.g., churches, schools, law enforcement) to address local health issues. 

Abstracts may highlight efforts to improve population health that are linked to the ambient environment, occupational safety, foodborne illness, vector borne disease, animal wellness, and other environmental stressors.
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Agenda to be posted once sessions are selected.

Track 4: Partnerships for Equity: Addressing Health Disparities at Home and Abroad

Submissions may focus on programs or research that collaborate with partners or communities to address health disparities in the U.S. due to socioeconomic status, racial or ethnic group, sexuality, gender, geographic location, level of education, or other factors. 
 
Abstracts may describe global health work to collaboratively investigate or ameliorate health issues that can have disparate impacts on different populations, including vulnerable populations.

Agenda to be posted once sessions are selected.​

Track 5: Partnerships that Strive for Leadership and Innovation

Agenda to be posted once sessions are selected.​Submissions to this track can include demonstration of strong leadership and innovation by promoting collaboration across a broad range of partnerships (intra/interagency, interdisciplinary, community, private, local, national, tribal, international, etc.) to improve public health.
 
Abstracts should also highlight creative ideas, unique partnerships, and innovative programs formed through collaborations to improve public health.

​Agenda to be posted once sessions are selected.​​

Track 6: Partnerships that Address the Opioid Epidemic and Substance Use Disorders

Submissions may include educational, outreach, and prevention efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and substance abuse disorders, collaborating with community members, medical professionals, law enforcement, and substance abuse treatment professionals. Efforts may be in community settings, schools, healthcare systems, correctional facilities, law enforcement, and other local, state or national level projects in which broad or individual level interventions are made.
 
Abstracts may also highlight medical-legal partnerships to assist persons with mental and substance use disorders in meeting their housing, employment, and education needs as well as with local, state, tribal and national government entities.

​Agenda to be posted once sessions are selected.​

Questions? Contact us at symposium@phscof.org or 443-906-3040.