Breakout Session Track Descriptions
This year, we will have different tracks to help cater to specific interests within the public health field. You will select the track(s) that best fits your proposal. Descriptions of tracks are below:
Behavioral Health and Wellness
This track takes a whole-person approach to health by connecting mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Sessions will highlight community-based, clinical, and workplace strategies that support behavioral health, including trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices that promote healing, resilience, and balance. Presentations may also focus on worksite wellness programs and organizational approaches that foster healthier, more supportive environments for employees.
Sample Topics include: mental health promotion, substance use prevention and recovery, stress and burnout, trauma-informed care, resilience building, mindfulness, social connection, employee assistance programs, worksite wellness initiatives, and community-based wellness programs.
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
This track is all about keeping communities healthy at every stage of prevention. Sessions will explore programs and strategies that support primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. This includes preventing diseases before it starts, early detection and treatment, and managing conditions and improving quality of life. Presentations will also highlight how health communication, outreach, and marketing strategies can be used to engage communities, promote healthy behaviors, and increase participation in prevention programs using evidence-based and community-informed approaches.
Sample Topics include: oral health, immunizations and vaccinations, nutrition and physical activity, tobacco and vaping prevention, cancer screening and early detection, chronic disease management, maternal and child health, injury prevention, sexual health education, health communication campaigns, community outreach strategies, social marketing for public health, and digital and social media for prevention messaging.
Emerging Issues and Hot Topics
This track keeps a pulse on what's new and what's next in public health. Sessions will spotlight current challenges, innovative ideas, and lessons learned from the field, offering space to explore issues shaping public health practice now and in the future.
Sample Topics include: Climate and environmental health, infectious disease trends, public health preparedness and response, health misinformation, new technologies in public health, health equity innovations, advocacy campaigns, policy and legislation updates, and responses to emerging public health threats.
Lifting Up the CHW Workforce
This track highlights the people at the heart of community health work. Sessions will focus on ways to support, strengthen, and sustain the Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce through training, professional growth, and meaningful integration into health and social service systems. Presentations will share practical approaches that elevate CHW voices and showcase their impact in communities.
Sample Topics include: CHW training and certification, professional development, recruitment and retention, supervision and leadership, career pathways, CHW integration into care teams, policy and advocacy, and compensation models.
Operationalizing Public Health
This track focuses on the behind-the-scenes work that keeps public health programs running and visible. Sessions will share practical tools and real-world strategies for turning ideas into action, strengthening organizations, and connecting effectively with the communities they serve. Presentations will highlight approaches that support sustainability, efficiency, and clear communication across public health and community-based settings.
Sample Topics include: Billing and reimbursement, grant writing and management, healthcare IT and data systems, program evaluation, quality improvement, budgeting and financial management, compliance and reporting, marketing, communications, workforce management, professional development, and organizational leadership