Events

The Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) hosts a range of events and is the sponsoring organization for National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month (NTPPM), which occurs annually in May. Here you can find a list of past and upcoming events relevant to adolescent health, including Twitter chats. You can also find materials from past Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grantee conferences and meetings and past Pregnancy Assistance Fund grantee conferences and meetings.

2016 American Public Health Association (APHA): Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow®

Saturday, October 29-Wednesday, November 2, 2016 - Denver, CO

Materials

At the 2016 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo in Denver, Colorado, OAH hosted a session highlighting programs that demonstrate “TAG in Action.” Regina Davis Moss, Ph.D., MPH, opened the session by welcoming participants and reiterating APHA’s commitment to promoting adolescent health. Acting Assistant Secretary for Health Karen B. DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, next spoke about the critical importance of supporting adolescent health. OAH Director of Policy Planning and Communications Susan Maloney then provided an overview of TAG and moderated a panel featuring the following speakers and programs:

  • Amy Olejniczak, MPH, Program Director, Wisconsin PATCH (Providers and Teens Communicating for Health Program)
  • Seth Ammerman,MD, Medical Director, Stanford Children’s Health and Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital, Teen Health Van
  • Daniel Adams, National Trainer, Sources of Strength
  • Erica Barillari, Peer Leader, Sources of Strength

The panelists discussed the importance of taking a strengths-based approach to support adolescent health. Panelists also shared ideas for effectively engaging youth in efforts to improve physical and mental health outcomes for adolescents.

2015 American Public Health Association (APHA) Session: TAG in Action 

Monday, November 2, 2015 - Chicago, IL

Materials 

Overview of the Event

During a session at the 2015 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting in Chicago, OAH highlighted several examples of “TAG in Action” at the local and state levels.

The session opened with comments from Regina Davis Moss, Ph.D., MPH, who reiterated APHA’s commitment to supporting programs that best promote the healthy development of adolescents. Assistant Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Patrick O’Carroll, MD Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Regional Health Administrator for HHS Region X spoke about the critical importance of supporting adolescents and finding opportunities to promote health during the second decade of life. After providing an update on TAG at the national level, OAH Director Evelyn Kappeler moderated a panel featuring speakers from programs that regularly engage youth. These speakers included:

  • Audra Bishop, Youth and Young Adult Unit Supervisor and State Adolescent Health Coordinator, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment—Colorado 9to25, and Nkem Nwankwo, Youth Advisor, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment—Colorado 9to25
  • Suzanne Elder, former Director, Partnerships to Improve Community Health, Cook County Department of Health (Illinois)
  • Sue Catchings, Chief Executive Officer, Health Centers in Schools (East Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

All the speakers underscored that young people are public health’s greatest resource for promoting adolescent health – they know the issues best and have creative ideas to push the envelope for change.

Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow (TAG) Announcement

Monday, November 17, 2014 - New Orleans, LA

Materials

Overview of the Event

Picture of TAG launchOn Monday, November 17, 2014, the Office of Adolescent Health announced a call to action—“Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow” (TAG)—at the American Public Health Association (APHA)’s 2014 Annual Meeting and Exposition. TAG aims to engage a wide array of professionals who touch adolescents’ lives, as well as parents and teens themselves, to improve the health and healthy development of the nation’s 42 million adolescents. Presenters included:

  • Rear Admiral Boris Lushniak, Acting U.S. Surgeon General
  • Dr. Regina Davis Moss, Executive Director of Public Health Policy and Practice, APHA
  • Dr. Carol Ford, President, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
  • Lynn Tiede, Senior Associate Director for Policy, Jim Casey Youth Initiative

TAG speakersIn addition to introducing TAG, presenters in the session highlighted successes in adolescent health in the last 25 years, discussed how TAG aligns with the National Prevention Strategy and Healthy People 2020, and presented strategies for engaging youth in health promotion. During the session and the APHA Conference, people discussed TAG on Twitter using the hashtag #TAG42mil.

OAH released a new section on its website dedicated to helping youth-serving professionals, families, and adolescents take action for adolescent health. Sign up today for TAG updates.

Make the Connection: How Positive Youth Development Offers Promise for Teen Health & Teen Pregnancy Prevention (Webcast)

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Materials

Overview of the Event

In observance of Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, the HHS Office of Adolescent Health hosted a live webcast on positive youth development. The webcast featured a panel of experts moderated by OAH's Deputy Director, Wilma Robinson. Panelists included:

  • Karen Pittman: President and Chief Executive Officer, The Forum for Youth Investment
  • Richard F. Catalano, Ph.D.: Bartley Dobb Professor for the Study and Prevention of Violence; Director, Social Development Research Group; and Professor, School of Social Work, University of Washington
  • Gina Wingood, Sc.D., M.P.H.: Professor, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
  • Lisa Lauxman, Ph.D.: Director, Division of Youth and 4-H, Institute of Youth, Family, and Community, U.S. Department of Agriculture

The webcast covered what positive youth development is; the research behind positive youth development and its success with teen pregnancy prevention; how positive youth development is valuable for programs working with adolescents; how community programs have been using positive youth development; and opportunities for future research in this area. The event was live-tweeted on Twitter using the hashtag #TeenPYD.

A Global Look at Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Strategies for Success (Webcast)

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Materials

Overview of the Event

Hear from Robert W. Blum, MD, MPH, PhD, an expert in adolescent health and teen pregnancy, about how teen pregnancy outcomes in the United States compare globally, and what we can learn from teen pregnancy prevention efforts abroad. During the webcast, Dr. Blum addressed the following questions:

  • How do adolescent pregnancy and childbearing statistics in the United States compare globally?
  • How do different factors and characteristics impact an adolescent's risk of teen pregnancy?
  • What do we know about effective teen pregnancy prevention?

Dr. Blum also answered some commonly asked questions concerning teen pregnancy prevention. This webcast kicked off a month of activities by OAH for its third annual recognition of National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.

Last updated: December 27, 2016