APHA’s National Student Meeting on Saturday focused on ethics and ethical decision-making for the next generation of public health professionals.

The meeting began with a surprise visit from APHA President-elect Deanna Wathington, who greeted the students and thanked them for their perspectives that “keep [her] young.” 

Wathington said she looks forward to writing the president’s column in The Nation’s Health throughout the upcoming year and plans to co-write one with the Student Assembly to highlight student voices. 

“Whatever’s on your mind, whatever we can do to help you, let us know,” she said. “You really are the foundation of the entire organization.”

Creating ethical policymaking

A panel of three public health professionals shared how their work relates to ethics. Panelist Casper Voyles is an associate professor of public health at Hamline University and an LGBTQ+ health scholar who focuses on inclusion in athletics. Voyles, a transgender man, grew up playing women’s sports before transitioning and said he experienced bullying and microaggressions as the only out, queer person on the team. 

“Relating to other people with empathy led me to pursue my career in public health. It’s a field where you’ll find lots of other empathetic peers,” Voyles said. 

He said transgender and gender-diverse youth are half as likely to participate in sports than their cisgender peers. Additionally, 222,500 transgender youth ages 13-17 live in states that restrict or ban trans people from participating in sports — or 75% of LGBTQ+ youth in the U.S.

These bans can have far-reaching public health impacts, such as increased mental distress or suicidality in LGBTQ+ youth and adults. 

“When we’re looking at ethical policymaking, we need to figure out if this inclusion will cause harm or perpetuate inequities and if it will cause a public health issue,” Voyles said. “I would say these bans are unethical and should be repealed.”

Building an occupational public health career

As a Vietnamese American whose parents immigrated to the U.S. in the 1990s, panelist Tran Huynh saw many of her family members, friends and the larger community of Vietnamese and Asian immigrants and refugees working in nail salons. These jobs were attractive because they didn’t require people to know much English, but being a nail technician takes a lot of skill.

Huynh, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, said her family and friends often complained about headaches, sore hands and carpal tunnel syndrome. As she learned about occupational health, she recognized these symptoms were related to chemical exposure and could be avoided. Huynh’s work centers around community-based participatory research and environmental and occupational health. She is also a certified industrial hygienist.

The top priority for most immigrant families is putting food on the table, not focusing on their health, she said. But it’s important for people to find a balance 
between economic need and health. 

“Human values and human emotions can help guide your decisions (as future public health practitioners) with empathy. Public health is not just about data; it’s about people.”

Centering a career around ethics

Drissa Toure, a professor with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, talked about his personal entry into public health and how it started. Toure, whose work focuses on maternal and child health, was working as a physician when a woman came in with a very sick child. Toure saw the boy’s condition and rushed to get him into surgery, he said, although the mother had been turned away.

“The system discriminated against this lady because of her socioeconomic status, but from an ethical perspective, it’s not right,” Toure said. 

He said that moment led him to focus on ethics and balancing quality health care with systemic constraints, and he has learned the best way to engage with communities is to ask them what they need.

The National Student Meeting continued throughout Saturday with additional presentations, panels and workshops.

Photos: Casper Voyles and Tran Huynh. Photos courtesy EZ Event Photography.