Application opens today
After a brief hiatus due to COVID restrictions, the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) will be hosting its annual educational conference (AEC) from June 28 – July 1, 2022 in Spokane, WA. For four days, environmental health professionals will attend sessions on topics such as climate change, data and technology, food safety, emergency preparedness and response, and more. NEHA is a leader in advancing the environmental health practice in the U.S. and internationally, and the AEC is a great opportunity to meet with and learn from like-minded experts in the field.
As a long-time NEHA partner and sponsor, Accela always looks forward to attending the AEC, and every year we bring a few EH professionals with us! This year, the Accela NEHA AEC Scholarship program is rewarding six innovative thinkers who offer smart solutions to a prompt covering innovation and best practices in environmental health. For 2022, the prompt is:
“Many in the US workforce are considering changing careers. How does local and state Environmental Health preserve and grow its workforce in face of this trend?”
We’ve received some great responses over the years, addressing timely issues covering everything from the impact of news headlines on public health awareness, to how health departments can be more prepared in the case of a natural disaster. After a tumultuous few years, public health is more front of mind than ever before and we look forward to hearing your insights.
Some important details to consider before applying:
- Each winner receives one registration for the AEC, as well as a one-year membership with NEHA
- Please note: Due to COVID, this year’s AEC is a hybrid in-person/virtual event. Winners can opt to use the scholarship to attend virtually or in-person as they prefer; travel costs to the AEC are not included.
- The submission period is April 1-29, 2022. Winners will be notified in early May.
- Applicants must be an active environmental health professional. Sorry, no students.
A few hints to help get the creative juices flowing:
- We love innovative, thoughtful ideas, no matter how small they might seem. No need to propose an overhaul to the whole system.
- We’re looking to address today’s pain points. When thinking up your solution, focus on real-world challenges you or your stakeholders (agency leadership, the public, operators, etc.) face day-to-day. Don’t forget to frame your solution(s) within those challenges!
- You might also consider what tomorrow’s challenges may bring and how your solution could address them.
The application period opens today! We hope applicants have fun with their responses, and we look forward to reviewing the submissions. For more information on Accela Environmental Health, click here.
