PAHO, APHA explore new collaboration

Top officials of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the American Public Health Association (APHA) met recently to discuss new ways of collaborating to advance their common goals in global health.

APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin and other top APHA representatives met with PAHO Deputy Director Jon K. Andrus at APHA headquarters on Apr. 23. The two organizations have worked together in the past on initiatives including World Health Day.

New areas of potential collaboration discussed at the meeting included health along the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly noncommunicable diseases, violence, and childhood obesity, and coordination with Mexico's Ministry of Health. APHA also expressed interest in the work of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

"PAHO is very proud of its long-standing collaboration with APHA, and we are extremely excited about strengthening this collaboration to tackle important public health problems that exist throughout the Americas, not just in the United States," said Dr. Andrus.

"It makes absolute sense. APHA is the oldest national public health association in the world, and PAHO is the oldest international public health agency. Together we can work more effectively to prevent premature death in the Americas, especially in the area of chronic diseases. It is a great opportunity to take advantage of our alignment to promote policy and risk reduction strategies proven to save lives."

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