Chicago Whirlwind

I am now home from our four days in the Windy City. We were there for the American Public Health Association's annual conference, and it was absolutely amazing. Between my boss, Corrine, and I, we managed to present our study findings in five different presentations over the four days.  FIVE.  Guys, that's a LOT of presentations for two people.  One of these I took the lead on, which resulted in my very first oral presentation at a national conference.  Oh how far I have come with that pesky fear of public speaking!

In addition to our own presenting we attended a ton of other sessions over our areas of interest and made some great connections with others in the field.  I know not everyone is a fan of conferences, especially these large scale ones with thousands of people, but I think it is just amazing to get so many public health minded people together and hear them passionately talk about their own research. It makes me proud to be part of this group of people who are all working in different areas to make our world just a little bit better.

Anyway, the conference was amazing.  And,  not surprisingly, so was Chicago itself.  Corrine and I have a tendency to plan every single free minute with fun during these conferences.We coordinate meals with our friends and colleagues and basically do our best to make the most of our time in these different cities. Chicago turned into the city of food.  We walked over 30 miles over the four days, and ate at an unmentionable number of amazing places.  We even did a city food tour, which was awesome!

Last night I got home right around midnight.  I hugged Nick and covered Henry in kisses while he slept.  I was exhausted and ready to be home, but I was also rejuvenated in my passion for public health, which, is really the point.

Looking forward to my next APHA conference already.