Students and faculty from the (COPH) made a strong impression with their ideas about the future at the 2026 Florida Public Health Association Educational Conference in Orlando, which featured the theme 鈥淐ommitting to Excellence Through Collaborations and Continuity.鈥
The association (FPHA) exists to enhance public health awareness and practice to benefit professionals, students and statewide infrastructure through advocacy, education and collaboration.
Myai Hoang (Photo courtesy of Hoang)
Myai Hoang, an student and graduate research assistant at the , won the Most Innovative Poster Award for her presentation 鈥淔rom Lived Experience to Policy Change: Advancing Maternal Health Advocacy.鈥欌 She examined Florida鈥檚 Medicaid landscape, including the lack of Medicaid expansion and potential negative maternal health impacts associated with funding reductions.
Her poster focused on the role of community health workers and how their collaboration with doulas, midwives and other maternal and child health workers help communicate broader health needs to policymakers.
鈥淐ommunities deserve a seat at the policy table, and this poster centers on bridging the gap between lived experience and policy by improving health policy literacy and advocacy capacity,鈥欌 she said.
Emma Underwood, MPH (Photo courtesy of Underwood)
Emma Underwood, a , was part of a student keynote panel that discussed the impact of COPH鈥檚 research and initiatives. Her topic, "Beyond the Classroom: Navigating your Public Health Journey," described student involvement in research, leadership, mentorship, networking and engagement within the community.
She said the conference experience empowered 鈥渆arly career students who will be the future of the public health field.鈥欌
Destiny Cruz, MPH, MSW (Photo courtesy of Cruz)
Destiny Cruz, a, presented a poster called 鈥淪trengthening Statewide Overdose Prevention Through Enhanced Evaluation, Data Integration and Collaborative Implementation: Florida Overdose to Action.鈥欌 She worked with COPH faculty Drs. and on her research.
鈥淚 wanted to emphasize the crucial role of data and evaluation in enhancing overdose prevention efforts across Florida,鈥欌 Cruz said. 鈥淧resenting our evaluation work also gave me an opportunity to grow as a researcher and communicator.鈥欌
鈥淏eing able to discuss our work with a diverse public health audience and receive feedback helped me think more deeply about how to communicate findings and translate them into meaningful public health action.鈥欌
Faculty presentations included 鈥淭urning Data into Action: Driving Equitable, Adaptive Public Health Responses鈥 by, director of COPH鈥檚 ; and 鈥淎dverse Childhood Experiences and Mental Health Access Disparities in Florida鈥,鈥欌 by , assistant professor and director of the COPH鈥檚 .