Dear SOEPHE members,

I hope this message finds you well! It was wonderful seeing many of you at NCE this year. I’d like to give a special thanks to Christina Nelson and Sheela Rao from our Education Committee who helped plan an amazing H program. We will be sending out the presentations for those of you who couldn’t make it in person.

I also want to thank everyone who responded to the SOEPHE experience survey that Kymika sent out this fall. Here’s the good news: the percentage of respondents who rated SOEPHE highly was more than it was two years ago. Here’s the bad news: the percentage of low scores was ALSO higher than it was two years ago. When we took a closer look at the specific comments, many respondents did not feel engaged or know much about the section at all. Taken together, it is clear that those of us who have been active in the section love it, but we need to do a better job engaging all of our membership.

So … who are we and what do we do? We’ve attached the SOEPHE long-range plan for those who want ALL of the details, but our vision and mission statement are the most important parts and her highlighted on the right panel.

How can you get engaged? Here are just a few ideas:

  • Join a committee. In the coming year we will be seeking new SOEPHE members for our education, membership and awards committees. We will also have two open positions on our Executive Committee starting November 1, 2024. Nominations are currently under review by the SOEPHE Nominating Committee.
  • Come meet the executive committee and other SOEPHE members on-line! We will be switching from our in-person business meetings at NCE and PAS to a set of virtual meetings for all SOEPHE members this year. Stay tuned for details.
  • If you work in public health – consider joining the Public Health Special Interest Group.
  • If you are a methodologist - consider volunteering to serve on one of the upcoming Clinical Practice Guidelines. Details will be forthcoming.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have other ideas about how we make SOEPHE better!

Thank you for all you do on behalf of our children,
Mike

Michael J. Smith MD, MSCE
Professor of Pediatrics, Duke University
Chair, Section on Epidemiology, Public Health and Evidence

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