Are you attending the APHA Annual Meeting & Expo? We’re excited to join this year’s conference in Washington D.C. and connect with peers from across the country as we collectively work to support policies that promote better health for all people in all communities.
From November 2–5, our staff will be presenting on issues that range from advocacy in the current political climate to strategies for climate change mitigation. View our full schedule below — we hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Sarah de Guia, JD
CEO, ChangeLab Solutions
Advocacy in the Current Political Climate - 3108
Monday, November 3, 10:30am–12:00pm
Speakers: Sara Bartel, Managing Director; Tyra Satchell, Policy Analyst
This session is designed to help new and seasoned advocates understand the general ethics and legalities related to lobbying and advocacy. The presentation will address common advocacy and lobbying restrictions for employees in non-profit organizations and government agencies and the activities that public health advocates can participate in, regardless of their employer or profession.
From Assessment to Action: A Roadmap to Advance Health Equity - 4037
Tuesday, November 4, 8:30–10:00am
Speaker: Tyra Satchell, Policy Analyst
This session will explore the factors that influence organizational capacity to address health equity and provide strategies for moving along the readiness continuum, thus increasing organizational preparedness to address health equity through tools of law and policy. Participants will have the opportunity to explore the Health Department Assessment & Roadmap tool, developed by ChangeLab Solutions and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which aims to enhance public health practitioners’ ability to assess their organizational capacity to use tools of law and policy to advance their work on addressing the structural determinants of health.
From Punitive to Positive: Exploring How Traditional School Discipline Policies Push Children with ADHD & Tourette Syndrome Into the Margins & What Schools Can Do Instead - 4054
Tuesday, November 4, 9:30–9:45am
Speaker: Christine Camilleri, Senior Planner
School policies play an important role in shaping school climate. Disciplinary practices are one such school policy that affects whether schools are safe and predictable environments that support learning. However, punitive school discipline practices, such as expulsion and suspension, not only deny students important educational opportunities, but also may compound existing disparities associated with the social determinants of health. We will review the evidence on how punitive discipline leads to poorer outcomes for students, whereas successful implementation of evidence-based positive discipline has been shown to increase school connectedness, engagement, as well as improved climate and safety.
From Assessment to Action: Strategies for Climate Change Mitigation & Understanding Health Pathways - 4228
Tuesday, November 4, 2:45–3:00pm
Speaker: Christine Camilleri, Senior Planner
The need for a sustainable, just, and healthy future has never been more urgent, with climate-related health threats growing particularly for the most vulnerable communities. The newly updated Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework equips public health professionals with tools to collaborate with partners, identify climate and health threats, and develop effective strategies that advance health equity and build climate resilience. Whether you're just beginning this work or are an experienced leader in climate and health, BRACE can help guide and strengthen your efforts.
Public Health Legal Authority for Good: Examples & Evidence - 5036
Wednesday, November 5, 9:30–9:45am
Speaker: Sara Bartel, Managing Director
The need to rebuild community trust in public health authority matters more than ever. Legal authority can establish processes, accountability measures, and shared goals to ensure public health decision making and implementation activities actually improve health outcomes. This session will share research findings from ChangeLab Solutions’ collection of public health authority-related laws and policies across a range of US jurisdictions, all related to establishing and exercising local and state public health authority effectively and fairly. The conversation will be grounded in the legislative and bill-tracking research from their partners in Act for Public Health, and explore external research supporting the use of these legal strategies to improve public health.
10/28/2025