This weekend, thousands of public health scientists descended on Washington, DC, for the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. They’ll be here through Wednesday, sharing cutting edge research on everything from occupational health to epidemiology to HIV. And UCS scientists and outreach staff will be out there in full force.
UCS outreach coordinator Jean Sideris shares the 2012 UCS calendar with an APHA meeting attendee.
If you’re at APHA, stop by our booth in the exhibit hall (#2009) anytime to meet UCS staff and learn more about how you can help inform our work. (There are scores of other exhibitors, too; before today, I had no idea that there was an American Association of Professional Piercers). Here’s what else is happening:
On Tuesday at 11:10 a.m. at the Grand Hyatt Hotel (Independence Ballroom H), UCS Senior scientist Francesca Grifo will give a talk titled “Transparency and Accountability at the FDA: Has [The Prescription Drug User Fee Act] improved scientific integrity?” Her talk is part of a panel that will explore how science informs drug and medical device approval decisions at the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Grifo’s talk is a prelude to FDA at a Crossroads, a conference co-hosted by UCS and George Washington University that will examine institutional challenges and develop potential reforms to enable the FDA to fully utilize independent science in drug and medical device approval and monitoring.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg is scheduled to give the keynote address at the conference. A few seats are still available for those who want to attend in person—or you can join us through your computer, where you’ll be able to watch the webcast and ask live questions of the speakers.
Also at APHA tomorrow evening, we’re hosting an skills-building workshop for graduate students, post-docs, and early career professionals. UCS Press Secretary Aaron Huertas will share tips for effectively communicating science to the media. All scientists are welcome to attend the event regardless of whether they are registered for APHA. The details:
Tuesday, November 1
6:00 – 9:00 P.M.
The Passenger
1012 7th Street NW
Washington DC
(adjacent to the convention center)
If you happen to see me at the meeting, please say hello. And if you find me while you are dressed in a Halloween costume, I’ll put your photo on this blog.