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Mpha 2026 Annual Conference

MPHA 2026 Annual Conference

Thursday, October 1, 2026 @ 8:00 am – 4:30 pm

Augusta Civic Center, 76 Community Drive, Augusta, Maine

MPHA’s annual conference is the largest public health gathering in Maine. Every year, it features a broad array of programs and projects that address individual and community health, and demonstrate strategy, creativity, and innovation in tackling public health challenges.

This year’s conference, Nourish to Flourish: Cultivating Healthy Communities for Today and the Future, will explore efforts that nourish and sustain people and communities. Grounded in the foundations of health, Nourish to Flourish returns to the basics of public health by centering essential needs like food systems, safety, housing, healthcare, clean air and water, and community as the building blocks of well-being.

The conference will showcase initiatives that bring together public health practitioners, community members and leaders, and other partners committed to helping Mainers thrive, now and for generations to come.

Thank you to those who submitted abstracts! We will confirm conference presenters by Friday, June 26th.

If you have questions about your abstract or otherwise, please contact us.

Registration Information

Early Bird prices (~20% savings) are available for members through June 30th!

MPHA members receive a discounted registration rate! We encourage you to join today to receive this benefit and many others. You can learn more about membership at our website: www.mainepublichealth.org. You save money by joining MPHA and registering at the member rate, vs. registering as a non-member- so join today!

If you are a member, you may access your discounted registration link by logging in to your member profile and clicking "Upcoming Events."

Select the 2026 Annual Conference, which will redirect you to EventBrite where your registration discount will be automatically applied.
Your membership must be "Active" to receive the discount (so please be sure to renew first if your membership has expired). If this is the first time you've logged in to your member profile, you will need to enter your email and request a password reset link.

Early Bird Member Registration Rates (~20% savings) through June 30th!

Individual members (regardless of organizational affiliation): $90 plus processing fees
Student, Early Career, Retiree, CHW/LHO/Community Member: $60 plus processing fees

Regular Member Registration Rates:

Individual members: $110 plus processing fees
Alliance members: $100 plus processing fees
Sustaining members: $90 plus processing fees
Student, Early Career, Retiree, CHW/LHO/Community Member: $75 plus processing fees

REGISTER AS AN MPHA MEMBER HERE

The Non-Member Registration Rate is $275 plus processing fees.

REGISTER AS A NON-MEMBER HERE

Please note: EventBrite charges a service fee for invoices (even check payments), and a service and processing fee for credit card payments. If these fees are prohibitive, please email info@mainepublichealth.org and we will invoice you separately.

Keynote Speaker: Shelley Hearne, DrPH, MPH

Director, Johns Hopkins Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy, Deans Sommer & Klag Distinguished Professor, and Founder of Trust for America's Health

The New Bellwether: What Maine Teaches Us About the Future of Public Health

For decades, California set the pace for public health policy. Today, attention is shifting to Maine, an emerging model of innovation, pragmatism, and bipartisan problem-solving. Why is this happening? What contributes to Maine leading in this way, especially in a challenging time for public health? As an “advocate from away,” Shelley will reflect on Maine’s growing influence and the conditions that have enabled its progress, serving as a bellwether for the rest of the country. The talk will highlight the often-overlooked foundations of public health: infrastructure, workforce, and relationship building. As momentum builds for change, the central challenge is maintaining sustained investment and political will, while also building trust. This session offers a lens on how Maine is meeting the moment and how public health professionals can continue building on this momentum to improve public health.