National Experts in Improving Public’s Health Converge at 2014 Keeneland Conference

Posted: April 4, 2014

Research shows that improving the public’s health requires much more than simply expanding health insurance coverage and improving access to doctors and hospitals.  This is why leaders in public health research, policy, and practice from around the country will gather in Lexington this week to share their latest lessons learned at the 2014 Keeneland Conference in Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR), a premier national meeting focused on advancing the science of public health across the United States.

Hosted by the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research, the conference brings together researchers, practitioners and policymakers to share the latest research and insights regarding how to organize, finance, and deliver programs and policies that improve health status on a population-wide basis.

Keynote speakers scheduled for the conference, set for April 7-10, 2014, in Lexington, Ky., include Dr. Alonzo Plough, vice president and chief science officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Dr. David Ross, director of the Public Health Informatics Institute.

In addition to the two keynote speakers, this year’s Keeneland Conference will feature three interactive plenary sessions:

“Scientific advances are providing us with an expanding toolbox of strategies for preventing major health threats like obesity, tobacco exposure, infectious diseases, and environmental pathogens,” said Dr. Glen Mays, a professor of public health at UK and director of the coordinating center. “The annual Keeneland Conference lets us focus on the equally important science involved in putting these tools to work in real communities.”

The coordinating center is housed at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

For more information about the Keeneland Conference, visit www.keenelandconference.org

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About the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR) and Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRNs)

The National Coordinating Center works to produce and disseminate scientific evidence about how best to organize, finance, and deliver strategies that improve the public’s health. The Center conducts research, coordinates the research of other investigators in the field, develops data resources and methods to improve research quality, and supports the translation and application of research findings for policy and practice. The Center also works to engage public health practice settings directly in the production and application of evidence by developing and supporting practice-based research networks (PBRNs).  For more information, visit www.publichealthsystems.org. Follow the center on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cphssr and http://www.twitter.com/ph_pbrn.

 

About the University of Kentucky College of Public Health

The College of Public Health is committed to quality in all of its education, research and service efforts. Evidence of this commitment to quality is full accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), full membership in the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH), and Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) . The College of Public Health is committed to the practice community, as evidenced by its collaborations with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Kentucky Department for Public Health, Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, Kentucky Public Health Association, and the Kentucky Health Department Association.  For more information, visit www.uky.edu/publichealth.