Volunteering Requirement

How can I meet the volunteer requirement?

Volunteer Requirements for this Year's Meeting

The stipend requires 2 hours of volunteering for this year's meeting.

Examples of Activities that Meet the Volunteer Requirement

• present a poster or abstract

• moderate a session (see the Call for Moderators, which should open around June)

• review abstracts or films

• teach or help at a pre-conference Learning Institute

• work at a booth in the exhibit area

• lead a cohort-building session for other Sewell Stipend recipients before the conference

• compile the individual summaries into the group report

How do I find a volunteer opportunity for APHA this year?

Reach out to section contacts to see if you can help at an event (as listed in the program, all contact info is in the program, too) or connect via social media. Twitter:  #APHA[fill in a year], @APHAAnnualMtg or APHA on other social media platforms. 

To Moderate/Facilitate Scientific Sessions

• See the Call for Moderators, which should open around June

• Contact any of the program planners and volunteer. Program planners are always looking for moderators.

• Select a program you're interested in and contact that person.

• Setting up the sessions also involves a lot of work and many of the program planners would appreciate any help you could give them.

To work at a Section, Caucus, or SPIG booth or at a School of Public Health Display:

• Contact the Section, SPIG or Caucus Chair, or your School of Public Health and volunteer to work in their booth. Most shifts at these booths are 1.5 to 2 hour blocks of time.

• Volunteering at a booth in the Vendor/Exhibit area is an extremely valuable way of meeting and talking to public health practitioners. It is also is a great way to learn about a Section, SPIG, Caucus (http://www.apha.org/apha-communities) or even your own PH program.

How do I find an opportunity for a future APHA meeting?

Volunteering to Review Abstracts

• A good way to get on the list to review abstracts is to attend the business meeting of the section in which you have an interest. Let them know you'd like to review abstracts for the following year's meeting.

• Abstracts are generally reviewed in late February and early March for that year's meeting.

• If you’re interested in reviewing for next year, you’ll want to contact the appropriate program planner. Program planners change from year to year so you may want to word your first contact as verification of their continued participation and request (if applicable) for the new program planners’ contact information. The list of program planners for the next APHA annual meeting will be available on the APHA meeting site shortly after this annual meeting is over – usually in late December when the Call for Abstracts goes out.

• Note: Being a reviewer or helping organize sessions does not ensure that you will receive a Stipend, but it does enhance your chances.

Submitting an Abstract for a Future Conference

• Check the APHA Web site in early December when the call for abstracts generally comes out.

• Abstracts are generally due in early February, but late-breaking calls for papers continue into the summer.

• APHA has a very large number of presentation and poster sessions, and librarians have had a lot of success in fitting information-related presentations into public health topics.

Submitting a Learning Institute Proposal for a Future Conference

• The call for Learning Institutes goes out in December. Librarians have had fairly good success coordinating Learning Institutes.

• Submissions are generally due in early February, but the paperwork is quite extensive so plan accordingly.

• If you or a colleague has an exemplary training or education program at your institution and it can be generalized to the public health community at large, consider submitting.

• Speak with STAPH committee members about the preparation for this.

• Have at least 1 other person to co-teach a short course, 1 or 2 to co-teach the longer course.

• Kudos from the STAPH Committee if your Learning Institute submission is accepted. Be sure that makes it to your Sewell Stipend Application!