If you’re a public health professional living in Oregon, you are likely aware of the annual Oregon Public Health Association conference. After all, the conference is the largest gathering of Public Health professionals in Oregon!
This year’s OPHA conference was held in Corvallis, Oregon on October 8th and 9th. The two-day conference kicked off with a keynote address from Richard J. Jackson, MD, MPH of UCLA School of Public Health, who spoke about the impact of environment on health. The keynote was followed by sessions ranging in topic from ‘Climate Change and Green Solutions’ to ‘Workplace & Community Wellness.’
CROET staff contributed to this year’s conference through exhibits, presentations, and poster presentations. Meagan Shaw, Research Assistant at CROET, presented “Occupational Stress in Latino Agricultural Workers,” and Megan Parish, Research Associate at CROET, presented a poster titled “Characterizing a Young Working Population: Setting the Groundwork for Health and Safety Interventions.”
On a personal note, OPHA is one of my favorite conferences to attend as it not only gives me an opportunity to reconnect with fellow colleagues in public health, but also allows me to stay informed on the latest public health research and community health programs throughout Oregon. This year’s conference even shed light on a project in my very own neighborhood of Cully in Portland, OR. The ‘Story of Cully Park’ highlighted the ongoing restoration of a former landfill into a viable neighborhood park and community asset through organizational and resident partnerships.
We, at CROET, would like to thank OPHA for allowing us the opportunity to be a part of this year’s conference.
Submitted by Kendra Evans, Oregon Healthy Workforce Center Manager
