PAHO calls for stronger regional health security at the 2025 annual meeting of the American Public Health Association – PAHO/WHO

Washington, DC, November 2, 2025 (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) began its participation in the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA), calling on its partners to strengthen regional cooperation and place public health at the center of national priorities.

Addressing thousands of professionals gathered in the American capital under the theme “Make public health a national priority”, PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa emphasized that “health security begins when each country in the region prioritizes public health and works together to prevent disease, strengthen resilient health systems, and create a viable health workforce.”

“Health is the foundation of security, economic stability and social resilience,” said Dr. Barbosa, recalling that “in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, global GDP contracted by 3.5%, a clear reminder that health is inseparable from security, prosperity and development.”

A tradition of Pan-American cooperation

Founded in 1902 in Washington, DC, as the International Health Office, PAHO was created with the belief that no country can protect the health of its population in isolation. Today, with 35 Member States, three Participating States and four Associated States, the Organization continues to serve as a bridge for health cooperation in the Americas.

“Pan-Americanism is based on the belief that prioritizing the health, prosperity and security of each nation benefits our entire Region,” said Dr. Barbosa, reflecting on the long history of collaboration between the United States and countries in the region.

PAHO experts on APHA 2025 panels

Throughout the conference, held at the Marriott Marquis, PAHO experts will participate in multiple technical sessions on topics ranging from the elimination of communicable diseases to the education of health personnel and digital transformation in health.

Featured sessions include:

• November 2 (2:30-4:00 pm) – Strengthening health security through a unified response to antimicrobial resistance: outbreak response, vaccine impact, and emerging treatment gaps.
• November 4 (8:30 -10:00 am) – Beyond individual diseases: PAHO regional initiative to achieve the elimination of multiple diseases by 2030.
• November 4 (10:30 – 12:00 am) – Acceleration algorithms: transforming public health in the era of artificial intelligence.
• November 4 (4:30 – 6:00 pm) – Improve primary health in the Americas through strategic planning of health personnel education.

The 2025 APHA Film Festival will also feature seven short films developed by PAHO country offices, including the in-person screening and discussion of “El Salvador: A Promoter’s Journey Bringing Health to His Community.”

For more details on PAHO panels, follow PAHO social media channels or visit this event page.

In the exhibition area, PAHO will host two interactive booths (booths 129 and 913) focused on key dimensions of health security. Attendees can explore technical tools, access publications, and interact with experts on topics such as antimicrobial resistance, emergency preparedness and response, disease elimination, artificial intelligence, health systems, and the work of PAHO’s regional revolving funds, among others.

A decade of collaboration

PAHO and APHA have shared more than a decade of collaboration. Since 2014, when APHA was recognized as a non-governmental organization in official relations with PAHO, both institutions have worked together on National Public Health Week, World Health Day, and the translation and dissemination of scientific publications, including the Spanish edition of the Communicable Disease Control Manual.

They have also partnered with the Mexican Public Health Society to improve health along the US-Mexico border.

“Every experience that PAHO has built in the Americas contains lessons that can inform and strengthen public health here in the United States as well,” said Dr. Barbosa, emphasizing that “true health security lies in our ability to learn, adapt and move forward together.”