Connecting the voices of public health in Virginia
About VPHA
Vision & Mission of VPHA
Vision
Achieve significant improvements in public health practice and policy in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Mission
To improve the public’s health in Virginia by strengthening public health practice and promoting sound public health policy.
Goals
- Help develop a first-rate public health workforce that is connected, informed and highly capable of improving the public’s health in Virginia.
- Become an independent trustworthy voice for public health in Virginia.
- Promote effective and promising strategies through collaborative leadership.
- Stimulate public support for public health.
- Improve the function and structure of VPHA to better meet its mission and goals.
A Bit of History…
VPHA membership was largely made up of Virginia Department of Health employees until the mid 1990’s. After that and until 2007, agency involvement was reduced due to budget cuts surrounding travel and membership fees of any sort. While this significantly reduced the size of the organization, VPHA began to enjoy a more diverse membership and also began to gather momentum. By the end of 2007, the Association secured a 3-year capacity-building grant for $88,000 from the American Public Health Association (APHA), funded by the Kellogg Foundation. This led to hiring an Executive Director and establishing a new strategic plan.
The Here and Now...
The Association is committed to actively forming new partnerships, ideas and initiatives and serving as a forum for all of the voices of public health in Virginia to be heard. VPHA established the online Virginia Journal of Public Health in 2017 to serve as a forum for publications from Virginia public health professionals and students. VPHA has been an active partner in the Commonwealth Public Health Training Center (PHTC), through which it planned and executed conferences associated with the PHTC grant, including the Health Equity Conference and a Rural Health conference in partnership with the Virginia Rural Health Association. VPHA plans annual meetings focusing on current public health issues, offering members networking opportunities, and sponsoring a research poster forum for Virginia public health students.
Strategic Next Steps...and You!
Plans to strengthen our organization have already been set in motion and promise to enhance our overall operation and advance our mission. These plans include work to further develop our membership, financial processes, funding structures, and more. We will also continue to define and refine VPHA’s role(s) in areas such as undergraduate education, health equity, policy, continuing education, and our role within the business community. Case for Support
VPHA offers its members valuable opportunities to: share knowledge and experiences and exchange ideas with other public health professionals on multiple public health issues; develop leadership skills; learn about some of the latest developments in our e-newsletter and through the news feeds on our website; receive discounts on VPHA sponsored events, and more. If you would like to develop your connections and strengthen the role of VPHA in the community, please join our organization.
Why Join?
Join VPHA and Engage with other public health professionals to:
- Share knowledge and experiences and exchange ideas on public health issues;
- Engage in scholarly activity through the VPHA Online Journal;
- Network and learn about new issues through the annual VPHA conference;
- Develop leadership skills through committee and advocacy work;
- Engage in opportunities to mentor Virginia public health students.
If you would like to develop your connections and strengthen the role of VPHA in the community please join our organization.
