Apply to Present a Concurrent Session

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The 2013 Community Health Conference will be held September 25-27, 2013, at the Cragun’s Conference Center, Brainerd, Minnesota. Concurrent session presenters must be available on Thursday, September 26 and Friday, September 27. The conference schedule will be developed after presenters are determined.

Concurrent session proposals will be accepted through Thursday, May 16, 2013, at 4:30 p.m.

All applicants will be notified of the status of their proposal via email during the week of June 24, 2013.

Conference Theme

Working Together:
Attaining Health Equity in Minnesota Communities

Minnesota’s overall health ranking from the United Health Foundation has slipped from first to sixth to fifth in the past decade. Working together, we can do better. We must look beneath the averages to reveal the complexity and health challenges faced by populations and communities in our state. While the health of many of us is generally very good, this does not, unfortunately, hold true for everyone.

Currently, all Minnesotans do not have an equal opportunity to be healthy. This can be seen in each area of public health responsibility. What trends do we need to address to make Minnesota the healthiest state again? Our health has been impacted by five key things: increasing diversity distributed unevenly throughout the state; persistent health disparities; decreasing investment in public health; decreasing investment in education, an important predictor of health; and a lack of understanding about what creates health.

Participate in the 2013 Community Health Conference to explore these ideas with other public health leaders from state and local health departments, city/county government, tribal nations, and community health organizations. The Healthy Minnesota 2020 Statewide Health Improvement Framework, developed by the Healthy Minnesota Partnership, will serve as our guide. The framework generates action on factors that create health rather than on disease and other health outcomes. The framework invites everyone in Minnesota to participate in creating a healthy future for our state.

“Individual health and the health of each community are bound together with the health of all people in the state.”

- Healthy Minnesota 2020 vision statement

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2013 Community Health Conference Learning Objectives

Participants will:

  1. Connect emerging national and state public health issues to public health at the community level,
  2. Discover creative ways colleagues are approaching public health practice,
  3. Increase skills to engage diverse communities in public health partnership, and
  4. Improve knowledge of health disparities and their impact on achieving health equity.

The conference will provide opportunities to:

  • Learn from national and state experts
  • Interact with leadership from the Minnesota Department of Health to strengthen the state-local partnership
  • Acquire useful tools, models, and strategies from your public health colleagues
  • Celebrate public health accomplishments
  • Gather inspiration to meet the challenges of the future
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Expectations for Selected Concurrent Sessions

  1. All sessions will be 1 hour and 10 minutes in length, including Q&A.
  2. Each session will be limited to three presenters.
  3. Presenters must arrive at Cragun’s at least 60 minutes prior to their session time.
  4. Handouts: Each session must electronically submit up to 3 pages (may be double-sided) by September 6, 2013. The document must be formatted to be accessible to all viewers, per the State of Minnesota Accessibility Standard. Handouts will be made available on the conference website by September 23. MDH will not make hard copies. For an accessibility checklist for your documents, visit the State of Minnesota Office of Enterprise Technology: Checklist for Accessible Word and PDF Documents (PDF: 194KB / 1 page)
  5. All selected applicants are expected to work with conference staff to incorporate feedback from the conference planning workgroup into their presentation.
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Conference Fees for Selected Presenters

  • Conference registration fees will be waived for concurrent session presenters (maximum: three presenters per session).
  • Presenters are responsible for their own travel and lodging expenses.
  • Presenters must make their own Cragun’s reservations using the conference website if they wish to purchase lodging or meals. Reservations open July 15, 2013.
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Selection Criteria

Selection of concurrent session proposals is based on the session’s ability to:

  • Support the overall conference theme and must address at least one of the conference learning objectives
  • Be effectively covered in the time allotted (60-minute presentation, 10-minute Q&A)
  • Include a perspective related to local public health or community-based health (presentations that include multiple perspectives are encouraged)
  • Provide ready-to-use or adaptable tools, resources or other materials
  • Suggest an engaging, dynamic, or interactive format for conference participants
  • State two or three learning objectives that participants will achieve
  • Include a brief description that will be used for the conference program
  • Indicate the primary audience that will benefit the most from the session
  • Be submitted by Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 4:30 p.m.
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Conference Attendees

Community Health Conference attendees include:

  • Local elected officials
  • Local public health administrators, directors, and staff
  • Community-based organization leadership and staff
  • Community Health Board and Advisory Committee members
  • State Community Health Services Advisory Committee (SCHSAC) members and alternates
  • Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative (EHDI) grantees
  • Tribal health leadership and staff
  • Minnesota Department of Health leadership and staff
  • Other public health professionals
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Session Format

Sessions formats may include:
Individual presentations, panel discussions, skill-building activities, demonstrations, games, theatrical performances, multi-media shows, and more!

Please contact the conference coordinators for information on AV and internet capabilities.

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Additional Considerations

The conference planning workgroup will attempt to create an overall conference program that is balanced according to:

  • Content
  • Geography: presenters will be selected from all regions of the state, to the extent possible
  • Organization: at least half of all sessions selected will come from local public health or community-based organizations, but sessions demonstrating the state-local partnership are also desired
  • Format: a variety of formats are encouraged, but preference will be given to sessions that are interactive and suggest an audience participation component
  • Audience: sessions will be selected that are appropriate for each of the conference's target audiences

The Conference Planning Workgroup reserves the right to recruit additional concurrent sessions to provide conference participants with the best learning opportunities available.

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Submit a Concurrent Session Proposal

To submit a proposal, fill out the online submission form below and verify your information. You cannot save your application. Please have the following information ready prior to starting the process:

  • Suggested title
  • Session format
  • Intended primary audience
  • 2-3 learning objectives
  • Brief description of the session which will be used in the conference program
  • Any context or background information that will help the selection committee make an informed decision
  • Contact information for the applicant and up to three presenters

You will receive a confirmation of submission within your internet browser.

Concurrent session proposals will be accepted through Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. Applicants will be notified via email during the week of June 24, 2013.

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Questions and More Information

We encourage you to contact us with questions about the application process, application requirements, potential proposals, or the community health conference.

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