State of the Public’s Health Conference

Presented by Tekisha Everette, Executive Vice President of Trust for America’s Health

Reducing Health Disparities in Feto-Infant Mortality

Mattie F. Wolf, MD, MSc and Amy Rule, MD, MPH,

Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Sobia A. Sattar, MPH, MBBS, Georgia Department of Public Health

Olivia Ceavers, MPH Florida International University College of

Public Health & Social Work

Georgia’s Path for Healthier Aging

Kimberly Erukunuakpor, PhD, MPH Surveillance Epidemiologist,

Georgia Department of Public Health

Austin Dobbs and Curt Harris, PhD

UGA Institute for Disaster Management

Trust and Stress among Rural Communities

Zhuo (Adam) Chen, PhD University of Georgia College of Public Health

Anne Montgomery, PhD, Chris Scoggins, DrPh, MPH, and

John McElveen, EdD, MA,

Mercer University School of Medicine, Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center

Stefanie Friedhoff, Co-Director, Information Futures Lab | Professor of the Practice, Brown University School of Public Health

Much has changed for public health communication. The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light the harms of outdated communications practices, misleading information, and polarization. The rise of social media and now generative Artificial Intelligence continue to shape an increasingly confusing, overwhelming information environment. In response, people are turning to family, friends, and local trusted voices for their health information needs.

What does this mean for the future of public health communication?

In this keynote, we will discuss how relationships, not facts, are key to building informed, healthy communities, and explore 12 essential strategies for equitably connecting people with critical health information in a changed communication landscape.

Improving Maternal Health Across Sectors

Maribel Luviano, Project Manager & Heidi Ehrenreich, Project Director

MHI-Northeast Georgia Health System

Sheree Boulet, Associate Professor, Director of Population Health Research,

and Ran Zhang, Postdoctoral Fellow,

Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics,

Emory University School of Medicine

Creating a Culture of Health Through Preparedness

Kelli McCarthy, MPS, MEP, CEM-GA, EMHP

Abbey Reber, MPH

James P. O’Neal, MD

Kelly Nadeau, MN, RN, EMHP

Curt Harris, PhD, EMHP

University of Georgia Institute for Disaster Management

Enhancing School Health and Safety

Amber Murphey, MPH PREVAYL Regional Coordinator

Jazmin Nagorski, CSE, CFLE Health Educator,

Founder of Sun Academy

Jennifer Poole Ross, MPH, SN, RN School Health Program Liaison

1. Food is Medicine: A Medically Tailored Meal Program for Individuals with Co-Occurring Barriers to Care AUTHORS: Ciara Long, MPH, Aleta McLean, LCSW

2. Trusted Messengers Help Increase Vaccine Confidence in Vulnerable Communities AUTHOR: Nick Wormsby, MPH

3. Leveraging Large Language Models (LLM) for GA-VDRS Data Collection: Enhancing Efficacy of Violent Death Data Abstraction and Surveillance AUTHORS: Elizabeth Blankenship, MPH, Nathan Hunter, BS

4. The Case of the Hidden Cheese: The Importance of Cultural Competency and Interagency Collaboration in Identifying a Common Point Source in a Brucellosis Investigation AUTHORS: Taylor Ogle, MPH, Julie Gabel , DVM, MPH

5. Preventing Insurance Loss During Georgia Medicaid Redetermination: Introducing a Novel Framework for Student-Led Public Health Interventions AUTHORS: Evelyn Liu, BS, Toby Terwilliger , MD

6. Challenges of Conducting Group A Streptococcus Outbreak Active Surveillance in a Long-Term Facility in West Central Health District AUTHORS: Yidan Lou, MPH, CPH Brandi M. Nelson, MPH

7. Medical Student Training Concerning the Importance of Fentanyl Test Strip Use, specifically in Georgia AUTHORS: Brooke Sligh, BS, Vahe Heboyan, PhD, Catherine Clary, JD, Nicole Winson, PharmD, EdD

8. Expanding Impact Through Partnership AUTHORS: Dee Warmath, PhD, Allisen Penn, EdD, Ali Berg, PhD

9. An Examination of College-based Eating Disorder Prevention Programs: A Systematic Review AUTHORS: John Moore, PhD, Karli Galloway, BS, Helen DuPree, MS, Scott Butler, PhD, Bridget Miller

10. A Qualitative Assessment of Personal and Professional Growth in Peer Educators Participating in The Body Project AUTHORS: Helen DuPree, MS, Bridget Miller, Karli Galloway, BS, John Moore, PhD, Scott Butler, PhD

11. Traffic violence, bereavement and trauma: Under-18 survivors of fatal crashes in Georgia, 2022 AUTHOR: Lila Ralston, MPH

12. Grassroots, Community-Led Initiative to Address Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Areas of Georgia AUTHORS: Katherine Hatcher, MS, Catherine Clary, JD, Kit Wootten, MS, J. Aaron Johnson, PhD

14. Sleep Inadequacy and Its Impact on Chronic Conditions Among Young Adults in the United States AUTHORS: Salma Sultana Resma, MPH, Janani R. Thapa, PhD

15. Assessing Abortion and Reproductive Rights Policy Indexes: A Systematic Literature Review AUTHORS: Alisha Riggins, MPH, Savannah Steedley, MPH

16. ASPIRING to Inspire: Best Practices for Addressing Substance Use Disorders and Opioid Use Disorders for Pregnant and Postpartum Mothers in Rural Counties AUTHORS: Amy V. Szoka, BS, ICPS, Alyssa Findley, BS, James Paul Seale, MD, FASAM, FAAFP, Marlo Vernon, PhD, MPH, Vahe Heboyan, PhD

17. Evaluating the Use of a Teach-Back Method to Improve Patient Self-Efficacy in a Behavioral Health Clinic AUTHOR: Scarlett Schneider, MD, MPH

18. Association between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Young Adulthood Cardiometabolic Risk AUTHORS: Kiran Thapa, PhD, Ye Shen, PhD, José Cordero, MD, MPH, Emily Anne Vall, PhD, Janani Rajbhandari-Thapa, PhD

19. Work Requirements Limit Efficacy of Medicaid Programs AUTHORS: Hridaya Shah, BS, Kiana Kim, BS, Mindy Guo, MD, Toby Terwilliger, MD

20. Quantification of Food Intake Through Image Analysis, AUTHORS: Joshua Jaim Siger, BS, Katherine Ingerson, PhD, RD, LD, Ginnefer Cox, PhD, RD

21. Dairy On MyPlate: Consumption of Dairy-Based Foods Among College Students in the University Dining Space AUTHORS: Renee Hutton, BS, Ginnefer Cox, PhD, RD, Katherine Ingerson, PhD, RD, LD

22. A Statewide Health Equity Initiative: Building Public Health Capacity to Advance Health Equity in Georgia AUTHORS: Hilary Carruthers, DrPH, MSW, BA, BSW, Eric Napierala, MA, BBA, Melissa Thibodeau, BS

23. Which Patients Will See You Now – via Telemedicine: Social Determinants of Telemedicine Use among Georgia Fee for Service Medicare Beneficiaries: 2018-2019 AUTHORS: Zhuo (Adam) Chen, PhD, MS, MMgt, Grace Goryoka, MPH, Laura Murrell, BA, MA, Christine Szablewski, DVM, MPH, Sade’ Boyd-Johnson, MPH, M. Mahmud Khan, PhD, Juliet Nabbuye Sekandi, DrPH

24. Youth in Agriculture: Impacts of a Youth Educational Program Focused on Influenza and Zoonotic Diseases AUTHORS: Genevieve Keys, MPH, Casey E Barton Behravesh, DVM, DRPH, MS, William J. Gregg, MA

25. The Relationship between Dementia Diagnoses and Top Reasons to Visit the Hospital in Older Georgians AUTHOR: Sangita Ramaswamy, BA