Most of us are familiar with the infographic — a graphic, visual representation of information. Part of the appeal of infographics is the ease in which they impart data — the reader can quickly absorb complex information. Think of a weather map showing the day’s high and low temperatures or a map of subway lines.

Poster presentations fall along these same lines. They are a visually-based format through which to present detailed and complex research in a brief but easily understood way. The most effective posters use lots of images — graphs, charts, etc. — to deliver the message, while keeping text to a minimum.

Poster presentations are a unique way to engage an audience, serving as conversation starters and communicating your research to a large and diverse group of people. If you have conducted a research project and want to share your research methods and outcomes with other college health professionals, consider submitting a proposal for a poster presentation at ACHA’s 2015 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, May 26-30.

Your poster will be affixed to a bulletin board that is 4 feet high by 8 feet wide and displayed Thursday, May 28, and Friday, May 29 (please note that these dates are subject to change). Attendees at the meeting will be able to browse posters, and there will be times set aside for poster presenters to discuss their research and answer questions from attendees. 

One of the easiest ways to get in touch with a large group of people these days is through webinars. These large virtual meetings are especially helpful for college health professionals with colleagues all over the country, and the world. Webinars allow a large group of individuals to come together to share ideas and ask thoughtful questions in a free and interactive setting. 

ACHA is pleased to offer webinar services through GoToWebinar.com, a simple and convenient means to host meetings for up to 100 people. Some ACHA webinars will come from sections, committees/coalitions, or affiliates, while others will be speakers solicited by ACHA. Continuing education credits may also be available for webinars that qualify.  

Recent webinars include “The Art and Science of Coalition Building,” “Using Environmental Management Strategies within a Coalition,” and “Focus Groups in Health Education Practice: An Introduction.”

If you have an idea for a webinar, contact your section, committee/coalition, or affiliate leadership for more information.

By: Sarah Van Orman, MD, MMM
ACHA Vice President and Coordinator, Annual Meeting 2013 Leadership Program

ACHA members gather each year at the ACHA national meeting to learn new skills, wrestle with the important issues, reconnect with old friends, and meet new colleagues. Despite coming at the end of a hectic academic year, we also find time to organize and plan much of the work for the coming year of ACHA’s affiliates, sections, committee, coalitions, and task forces. Through our efforts as volunteer leaders the work of the association is done. 

Every ACHA member is an ACHA leader, whether it’s sitting on the board, participating in a coalition, or simply joining in the discussion at the national or a regional meeting. Becoming more involved, however, can seem a daunting task. It may be overwhelming to think about adding more to an already busy professional lives, it may seem that all the volunteer roles are filled with leaders already, or it just may seem hard to know where to start. 

Last year in Phoenix, a group of new and veteran leaders were asked to share their wisdom about what they had learned about being an ACHA volunteer leader. Together they created a short list of advice that may help new leaders looking to get started or veteran leaders looking for new opportunities.  

• Mentorship: Be and find a mentor. You are a resource to others and you have something to offer.
• Take the plunge: Push past your reluctance, take a risk and get involved. Don’t be afraid to volunteer. When you come in a room, sit by someone you don’t know and introduce yourself. Go to committee and coalition meetings that interest you.  No matter what your position at your health service you can be a volunteer leader
•  Know your resources: Collaborate, collaborate, and collaborate. Our strength is as a multidisciplinary organization. Ask others for help and advice. Delegate and reach out to others – share the workload. Get to know the ACHA national office staff. 
• Make sure you’re having fun. Maintain a good balance and know your limits. Share your passion and it comes back 10-fold. 
  

Whether Boston is your first, second, tenth, or thirtieth meeting, I want to encourage each of you to think about your role as a leader and how you may want to get and stay involved. Together we can achieve our common goal of improving the health of college students across the nation.

ACHA 2013 Annual Meeting 

The highly popular Pre-Conference Workshops are back again in 2013. These pre-conference workshops differ from the 90-minute concurrent sessions in that they are intended to help participants enhance specific skill sets or train to acquire specific skills. A limited number of pre-conference workshops will be offered on Tuesday, May 28, and tickets can be purchased at the time of registration (please note that you must be registered at either the daily or full meeting rate).  

Tuesday, May 28, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Boot Camp for New Directors: This program is designed to provide both new directors as well as providers interested in leadership roles with exposure to key foundational health care management skills. Areas of focus will include communication and leadership, quality and risk management, and finance.

Pharmacotherapy Update — Part 1: Selected Topics in Primary Care: The purpose of this workshop is to provide the healthcare professional with a general overview and update in three selected areas of pharmacology: headaches, common dermatologic conditions, and management of respiratory problems.


Quality in College Health: Achieving AAAHC Accreditation: This presentation will present practical information on how to be successful and achieve accreditation. Quality and professional improvement and essential components of accreditation will be discussed in detail, with examples of exemplary quality improvement efforts.

The Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS): A Training Workshop: The Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) assesses the full range of evidence-based suicidal ideation and behavior items and has shown the ability to successfully predict suicide attempts with the potential to reduce false positive cases often seen with other screening measures. Those completing this workshop will be certified to administer the C-SSRS.   

Tuesday, May 28, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM   

Healthy Campus 2020: Connect, Collaborate, and Create: This session will provide in-depth training on implementation of a Healthy Campus initiative. Topics include: selecting the target population(s), organizing a coalition, prioritizing issues, building partnerships, planning/ implementing new campus initiatives, and measuring change.   

Pharmacotherapy Update — Part 2: Selected Topics in Mental Health: The purpose of this workshop is to provide the healthcare professional with a general overview and update in clinical psychopharmacology. 

Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Exercise Workshop: Participants in the workshop will be shown basic exercise program structure and best practices that they can use to develop an exercise program on their campuses. The workshop will also include a tabletop exercise during which participants will play out the on-campus response to an emerging public health threat. 

Strategies for Developing College Health-Specific Nursing Protocols and Policies: Expanding the Effort: This workshop will include didactic presentations, focused group sessions, and a sharing of group outcomes. The session will guide participants and provide an opportunity to interact with nursing peers in the development of tools vital to nursing practice.

Supervision of Mental Health Trainees in a College/University Setting; Practical, Legal and Ethical Issues: Through didactic presentation, case review, and small and large group discussions, the participant will become informed and aware of the practical, legal and ethical issues that are inherent in the supervisory process in college mental health.   

For a full description of each Pre-Conference Workshop, visit the ACHA 2013 Annual Meeting website.