Thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s Policy and Advocacy Summit. We packed a lot into one morning, and we’re grateful to every member, partner and speaker who was part of it. Thank you to the Kendrick Foundation for sponsoring this year’s summit and helping bring public health professionals from across Indiana together.

Our keynote speaker, Nir Menachemi, PhD, MPH, Dean and Professor at the IU Indianapolis Fairbanks School of Public Health, opened the day with “Communicating (about Public Health) Across Political Divides.” His talk offered practical ways to talk about public health with people who don’t always see it the way we do. Other sessions included:

• Legislative Landscape: 2026 Review & 2027 Outlook with Ashlyn Devine, our Director of Advocacy and Grants
• Advocacy in Action: Voices for Public Health with Conny Moody, MPA, FNAP
• Common Ground in Action: A Conversation with Bipartisan Legislators featuring State Representative Greg Porter and State Senator Ed Charbonneau, moderated by IPHA board member Kisha Hampton

Thank you to all of our speakers for sharing their time and expertise! 

Watch the Recording

If you missed the summit, the recording is available with a donation. Members can access it for $15 and non-members for $20. Your gift supports IPHA’s policy and advocacy work across Indiana. Access the recording here. 

IPHA is glad to welcome Allison Aultman, Jeff Walker and Cassy White to our Board of Directors. Each of them brings real experience working in Indiana communities, and we’re looking forward to what they’ll add to our work.

Allison Aultman, MPH is Assistant Administrator for Chronic Disease at the Marion County Public Health Department. She brings a local health department perspective to the board and a focus on preventing and managing chronic disease in Indianapolis neighborhoods.

Jeff Walker, MPH, RDN is the Community Vitality Specialist with Purdue Extension’s Community Development Program. He is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist whose career spans community nutrition and public health. Purdue recognized him with its Community Spirit Award in 2024.

Cassy White, MPH is Director of Community Impact at Beacon Health System. She has worked as an epidemiologist focused on health equity and disease surveillance. Cassy cares most about putting data to work so communities can close gaps in health and quality of life.

IPHA Board President Monica Heltz and Marcie Memmer, IPHA’s Affiliate Representative to the Governing Council, traveled to San Antonio this month for the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Expo. Held November 1-4, this year’s meeting brought together approximately 11,000 public health professionals and partners from around the world under the theme “Together We Thrive: Health Across the Lifespan.”

They spent the week in education sessions and connecting with colleagues from across the country including the Region V ARGCs (pictured above). They left San Antonio inspired by the conversations they had and are bringing those ideas home to Indiana.



Didn’t make it to San Antonio? APHA TV has interviews and stories from this year’s meeting, with topics ranging from innovation in local public health to reaching vaccine-hesitant populations. You can also watch a video featuring Indiana University’s School of Public Health-Bloomington. Watch the highlights from APHA 2026.

Join us on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. ET. We're meeting on Zoom for a quick half hour of TPC updates, and there's a lot to celebrate. Quit Now Indiana turned 20 this year! Anniversary promotions are running now on the Quit Now Indiana website, so stop by and help us spread the word. 

Register here.

Mark your calendars for Tobacco Free Indiana's Advocacy Day at the Indiana Statehouse on February 4, 2027, and help make Hoosier lives a top legislative priority. Advocates will call on lawmakers to support policies that protect Hoosiers from Big Tobacco. The main priority this year is increasing funding for Indiana’s tobacco prevention and cessation program. RSVP today. 

Congratulations to Health by Design on 20 years of making Indiana communities healthier places to live! This statewide nonprofit works across sectors so that neighborhoods and public spaces in Indiana and beyond support healthy, active living. 

IPHA gets to see that commitment up close. Since 2019, Health by Design has provided our executive leadership and day-to-day management through a professional services agreement. That partnership has helped carry us to a milestone of our own: IPHA was formed in 1946 and is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year!! Join us in saying happy anniversary with a $20 donation to keep Health by Design walking and rolling into the next 20 years. Donate here.

Thank a public health worker on Nov. 23

Monday, November 23 is Public Health Thank You Day. APHA and Research!America join other national public health groups each year to recognize the people who protect our communities’ health, often without much notice. If someone in your work comes to mind, tell them.

APHA’s social media toolkit has sample posts and free graphics sized for each platform. Use one or write your own, and include #PHTYD.

• The Indiana Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) has awarded 92% of Budget Period 1 funding to Indiana based organizations. Visit the Indiana Department of Health website to learn more about the regional initiatives and activities and see grant recipients. 
  
• The Region V Public Health Training Center received new five year funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration and will rebrand as the Great Lakes Public Health Training Center while continuing to serve Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
  
• American Public Health Association and Epstein Becker Green to Launch a Comprehensive 50-State Assessment of U.S. Immunization Laws and Policies

Virtual Lunch Meet-Up (November 17, 12–1 PM ET) Grab your lunch and join public health professionals, students and partners from across the state to chat about all things public health!

Policy & Advocacy Committee (November 18, 2-4 PM ET) The Policy & Advocacy Committee meets monthly and is a way to bring together public health professionals across the state to learn and advocate for current and new public health policy.

HEAT Meeting (December 10, 1:30 PM ET) In partnership with Health by Design and our Health Equity Action Team Steering Committee, IPHA hosts monthly HEAT meetings bringing together advocates for health equity from around Indiana.

Upcoming local events

• November 16 from 9AM to 12PM the Indiana Department of Health is hosting the Public Health Report at the Indiana Government Center South Auditorium (302 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204). Visit their website for more information.  
  
• November 17 is Organization Day for the 2027 Indiana General Assembly when Indiana lawmakers meet before the session begins in January, take the first roll call, and begin pre-filing or filing bills.
  
• January 26: Mark your calendars for the American Heart Association’s Advocacy Day – they will be focused on Ultraprocessed Foods of Public Health Concern in Schools.

National

• December 8-10: 2026 Public Health Law Virtual Summit, Law, Policy, and Public Health Data Modernization organized by The Network for Public Health Law. For more information and to register, visit their website.  

Resources and Opportunities

• Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), HIP Work Requirements Partner Toolkit
  
• Submissions for the APHA latest call for papers on “Serving Those Who Served: Providing Care to Veterans” are due Feb. 15, 2027.
  
• Public Health Communications Collaborative, AI with Intention: The TRAPP Framework
  
• Change Labs, Nutrition & Physical Activity Policy Resources
  
• Building Healthy Places Network, Where Health Meets Place: A Guide to Community-Driven Health Plan and Community Development Collaboration