National Enviornmental Health Association's (NEHA) 74th Annual Education Conference

<p>Project Summary/Abstract: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and submits this proposal to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Small Scientific Conference Program (R13/U13), PA Number: RFA-FD-08-003, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.103. Grant assistance will be used to develop, administer, and conduct a seven/eight-day educational conference, 'NEHA's 74th Annual Educational Conference (AEC) & Exhibition.' The AEC will take place June 6-9, 2010 (plus three days of pre-conference workshops and courses on June 3-5 and one day with a post-conference exam on June 10), at the Albuquerque Convention Center and Hyatt Regency and Doubletree hotels in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. The objective of the AEC is to provide a unique opportunity for attendees to receive contemporary, relevant, high quality, and affordable education that is designed to meet the needs of environmental health professionals (EHP). The AEC is one of the primary methods that NEHA utilizes to deliver this education, and NEHA has an obligation to enhance the impact of the education it offers by delivering it in more contemporary ways. In these uncertain times, now more than ever, EHPs need the knowledge, skills, and abilities to be prepared. The 2010 AEC will give serious attention to how the profession is changing-especially in response to economic pressures and the emergence of profession-based performance standards. NEHA is taking a leadership role in mapping out a new profile for the profession. The AEC will serve as a convergence for NEHA and the EH profession to explore this evolution, address present concerns and future issues, and start to pave new ways to ensure the profession's positive growth. Attendees will be a part of this exciting movement within EH and take away the inspiration and information needed to lead themselves, their organization, and their profession into the future. Special features of the 2010 AEC include: emphasis on return on investment (ROI)because over 90% of attendees feel the investment in attending the AEC is of good value and can expect to implement what they learn and see job-related improvements; technical section steaming up to bring quality education such as the food security track with expertise from both the food safety and terrorism and all hazards preparedness sections; new information on H1N1 flu, community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA-MRSA), risk communication/assessment, and emergency management mitigation planning; and a focus on greater EH roles within the areas of sustainability. The Lecture Hall will provide opportunities to hear comprehensive information from experts with over 160 speakers and 130+ educational sessions on food safety and protection, terrorism and all-hazards preparedness, sustainability, and many more EH topics. There will also be a Learning Laboratory that offers attendees interactive educational sessions including summits and symposiums, roundtable discussions, group exercises, hands-on activities, a poster session, panel discussions, and innovative presentation formats. The primary audience is state and local EHPs, and NEHA expects about 1,500attendees. The proposed project beginning and ending dates are March 1, 2010 - Feb. 28, 2011. The assistance from FDA under the Small Scientific Conference Program becomes essential in maintaining the quality of the 2010 AEC. NEHA anticipates an estimated cost of$600,000 for the AEC, and we are requesting assistance in the amount of $25,000 from FDA, which represents about 4% of the estimated total conference costs. NEHA received funding assistance under this program for the 2008 AEC (1R13FD003509-01) and the 2009 AEC (1R13FD003772-01). For more information, please feel free to contact Vanessa T. De Arman of NEHA's Research and Development staff at 303-756-9090, ext. 311 or at vdearman@neha.org.</p>