Professional Organizations

The American Public Health Association (APHA) is one of the largest,  oldest, and most respected professional organizations in the health  field. For over a century, the APHA has brought together noted scholars  and public health leaders for its annual meetings. The association has  over 27 primary sections representing major public health disciplines,  including aging and public health, health care administration,  epidemiology, disaster and emergency management, technology, community  health practice, HIV/AIDS, and so on. 

Professionals who attend the APHA annual meeting can choose  from over 1,000 scientific sessions, roundtables, poster sessions,  institutes, and panel discussions at which more than 5,000 scientific  papers are presented.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Access the APHA website at http://www.apha.org/.
• Under the AHPA Communities tab, review the sections and related disciplines under the “Member Sections and State Affiliates”.
• Under the Events and Meetings tab, locate the upcoming or past conference themes.
• Explore some of the other resources, publications, and  educational opportunities that might help you develop professionally as  well as contribute to the field. Refer to the List of Professional  Organizations for (Health Informatics) which is your Program of Study for ideas on some organizations  to explore.
• Below is the list of Professtional Organization for Health Informatics. Please is should all be in APA format and also include Intext citations.
• American  Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
•  American Medical  Informatics Association (AMIA) 
• American Nursing Informatics Association  (ANIA)
• Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
• International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA)

By Day 4

Post a thoughtful response to the following:

• Which of the APHA sections appeals most to you and why (you can chose more than one)?
• Do you feel APHA is an organization that will help you develop professionally as well as contribute to the field? Explain.
• Search online for another professional organization related  to your profession. Provide a brief description of this organization—its  purpose and mission—and provide the website URL.
• Why should you and consider membership in this organization as a scholar-practitioner and social change agent?