The Value of IAPHS Membership

IAPHS is a unique society that pulls multiple disciplines together to answer important questions about population health in ways that individual disciplines cannot do in isolation. For this reason, many of us consider IAPHS to be our central professional home.

IAPHS stands apart from other professional organizations in our commitment to health equity at the core of all we do, and our pluralistic orientation toward all the ways of knowing about population health. We do not privilege one discipline or methodology over any other, welcoming all contributions to our understanding of the determinants of population health and all opportunities to improve population health through advancing health equity. 

In fact, this welcoming ethos is one of the characteristics of IAPHS that draw members in. Our members have described this welcoming orientation: “I was going to all of these very clinical conferences and I felt like a fish out of water. […] Someone recommended IAPHS to me, and I just felt so at home here.” (Kate Duchowny, University of Michigan) “I just feel like it’s an extremely welcoming and supportive environment. I hadn’t experienced that kind of immediate inclusion and support with other organizations like this, and it’s been a really fantastic experience” (Danielle Denardo, Soka University).

Beyond this intangible sense of belonging, IAPHS members also receive tangible benefits: reductions in conference registration rates, the ability to use the IAPHS website for networking purposes or to access to library resources, discounted registration fees for workshops, eligibility for mentoring programs, and opportunities to serve on committees and gain leadership opportunities and skills. As a small organization,   IAPHS makes it relatively easy to leverage these opportunities and connect with like-minded researchers and professionals at every career stage.  

These networking opportunities can lead to new collaborations as well as new insights on population health problems. Devon Payne-Sturges, an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, says, “I’m really inspired by the multiple ways one can look at a problem, that is, how different disciplines can contribute to understanding a problem, and IAPHS is all about that. IAPHS fosters those linkages across disciplines and develops collaborations between researchers who are bringing their different disciplines together. […] I think that’s what’s really exciting about this organization.” 

Students have similarly found IAPHS to be a particularly valuable network, with a student-specific committee, opportunities for mentoring and early-career-focused workshops as well as discounted registration rates for the annual meeting. Michael Green (Duke Population Health Sciences), the student representative to the IAPHS Board, describes the unique strengths of IAPHS as “the breadth of methods and disciplines present within the organization.”  He attests that personally, IAPHS has provided him “the support of a growing community of individuals who not only think about issues differently but also offer new perspectives and opportunities. These have been instrumental in my own professional development.” 

Another student member, Amber Manitowabi-Heubner, noted, “My favorite aspect of IAPHS is how it unites people from all around the country who are interested in population health. IAPHS encourages inclusivity and diversity, which is significant to me.”

Last, the annual conference itself offers a vibrant and supportive community for feedback and sharing. The energy and warmth of the conference are far higher than that of other conferences, as participants seek out old friends and create new connections. One member described the conference benefits:

“I have certainly benefited from the conference in many forms. It gave me renewed energies to stay active in the research world despite it not being required for my position. If not for that conference, and the support I got from so many colleagues here at Penn State, I would not have been able to do the jump from a non-tenure track to my current position.” Alexis Santos, Pennsylvania State University

Organizing an in-person conference has become increasingly expensive due to local economic circumstances and IAPHS’s commitment to choosing cities that are accessible to members and presenters. Despite the expense, the planning committee, staff, and leadership strive to ensure that the programs demonstrate the IAPHS ethos of interdisciplinarity by centering equity alongside a welcoming, intellectually stimulating, and supportive culture.

For all of these reasons and more, now is the time to engage, or re-engage, in IAPHS. 

Please join IAPHS as a member or renew your membership today. Registration for the 2024 IAPHS Conference opens on April 4, 2024. The conference is September 10-13 in St. Louis, Missouri. Join us!