President's Message August 2022

Public Health Nursing in Kentucky Mountains. United States Kentucky, None.
[Between 1917 and 1920] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017672271/

Plans are well underway for the 39^th Annual AAHN Conference to be held on September 15-17^th in Lexington, Kentucky.  After a two-year hiatus, we will once again have an in-person conference this year.  We’re dusting off our conference manual and working through the logistics of having a conference where members and visitors can be present while maintaining safe protocols.  It’s not an easy task, but it is important that we work to safeguard the health of all the attendees.

While it might not be apparent, we have actually been planning for this event for the past two years.  Efforts have been made to make sure we are financially prudent and do not incur costs we cannot pay.  We are not underwritten by large organizations like some other history associations so must make decisions for the conference based on sponsorships, donations, and registration fees. With this in mind, I believe we will have a great conference that will highlight the best nursing history scholarship that can be found.  An important feature of the conference this year is the Pre-Conference, which will provide information for novice historians or anyone who would like to brush up or refresh their knowledge.  The Pre-Conference will be hosted by some of AAHN’s best known scholars, including Rima Apple, Mary Gibson, Sandy Lewenson, and Erin Spinney.  This event is not to be missed.  It promises to be fun, informative, and memorable. The Pre-Conference is on September 15^th from 1:00-3:00 p.m. 

On Friday, September 16^th, we will begin the conference with the Keynote Address.  The keynote speaker this year is Dr. Melanie Goan, Professor of History, at the University of Kentucky. She will provide the keynote, titled:  Nursing Reimagined: The Frontier Nursing Service's Innovations in Rural Health Care. Professor Goan is a specialist in twentieth century US history, with specific interests in gender, Appalachia/Kentucky, and medical history. This promises to be an informative, well researched, critical look at the Frontier Nursing Service by an expert in the field. The Doctoral Luncheon will also be held on Friday and will be hosted by Dr. Arlene Keeling. If you are a doctoral student, please be sure and sign up for this event. There is no charge for this luncheon.  It’s a great way to network with Dr. Keeling and other doctoral students. The evening will conclude with our annual Reception and a sneak peek at many of the Silent Auction items.  The Reception is included in registration fees and is a great way to meet new people and connect with old friends.

On Saturday, September 17^th, our Silent Auction will get underway, the Poster Session will be available for your review and discussion, and our annual Membership Meeting will be held at lunch, which is provided, followed by the eagerly awaited announcement of scholarly research awards.

It takes a lot of people to make a conference like this work and I am grateful to everyone who pitched in to make this happen and to make it the best AAHN conference ever!

We have a great conference planned this year and I hope to see you there.

Remember Early Bird pricing is available until August 15^th!

Looking forward to seeing you in September,