Directors' Letter

Dear prospective delegates and esteemed colleagues,

It is our honor to welcome you to the first collaborative virtual American Mock World Health Organization conference. This past year, the annual national conference was unfortunately canceled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, spurring our chapter at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) to collaborate with other chapters across the nation to deliver a conference in an online capacity during a time where public health is more relevant than ever. We are so proud to witness the growth of AMWHO both locally and nationally, as students and professionals from interdisciplinary backgrounds converge to discuss innovations and ideas pertaining to health and health diplomacy on a global scale. We would like to thank our National President Neha Acharya for providing the framework for a common platform to bridge ideas and backgrounds to disrupt and innovate in the realms of public health and policy.

We hope to achieve productive discourse through this conference that allows you to expand your perspectives and positions through discussion and debate with colleagues from chapters across the nation. In order to achieve this objective, we have provided the tools and instructions to simulate a forum for health and policy changes and developments, upon which you will craft and deliver an assigned position stance. We sincerely hope that this provides you with the opportunity to expand your worldview on the ever-evolving developments in public health in a global context. 

We are excited to announce the theme for our conference - The Path Ahead: Our Future with COVID-19, a distinctly contemporary topic of contention that is currently at the forefront of the public conscience. Living through a remarkably unique circumstance, we as a global society are learning the essentiality of our steps today in their ramifications upon our future. Developing strategies for access and quality of healthcare are crucial points on the agenda of the international community. The conference will be divided into five subsidiary themes to inspire critical thinking around this theme. These subsections of interest are Reopening Strategies and Guidelines, Surveillance and Data Collection, Maintaining Health Services, Mental Health, and Health Communications. 

As models of the World Health Assembly, delegates will work throughout the weekend to form and pass a resolution paper that focuses on addressing the public health conflicts that have become apparent in this past year. By modeling this assembly, we are creating an informative dialogue to further our knowledge of the public health issues challenging the world. By participating in this conference, we are all working on becoming better global citizens.

For any questions, comments, or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to us at umbcamwho1@gmail.com. This is a unique event that allows enthusiastic participants such as yourselves to connect with fellow professionals and peers to engrain new skills and perspectives in a virtual capacity, and we are so excited to welcome you all!

Sincerely,

Sangeetha Noble and Sarah Burney

President and Vice President of AMWHO UMBC