Public Health Association Conference 2007

Public Health Association Conference 2007
For release Tuesday 3 July 2007

Public health workers from around the country will gather in Auckland tomorrow for the annual Public Health Association (PHA) conference. The conference is a ‘must-attend’ event on the public health calendar. This year’s theme is Te Torino – Re-imagining Health.

The conference, which runs from 4 to 6 July at Auckland University’s Tamaki Campus, features expert speakers including Prof Janet Hoek from the Department of Marketing, Massey University; Annette Sykes – a partner in the law firm Rangitauira & Co and member of the Maori Law Commission; and Director-General of Health Stephen McKernan.

Prime Minister Helen Clark will open the conference at 9am on 4 July.

Speakers this year will present around three main themes: food matters, voices (of minority groups) and urban design.

PHA Director Dr Gay Keating says the conference includes papers from Māori and Pacific public health practitioners, and from people working on public health issues that have become “hot topics”, such as the marketing of high-fat, high-sugar foods to children.

“Day One is called Food Matters and will focus on food and nutrition and their impact on health outcomes. Day Two, Voices, aims to give space for a diversity of groups and populations, and encourage public health practitioners to debate how to integrate these new perspectives into their work. And Day Three, titled Urban Design, is concerned with just that: planning and designing cities that are healthy environments for populations.”

The conference also includes the presentation of the Public Health Champion 2007 award, at the conference dinner on Thursday night.

Further information about the programme and speakers can be found on the PHA’s website: www.pha.org.nz.

ENDS

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