As my colleagues at the Improve Group know, each month I can be found crunching numbers in my role as Treasurer of the Minnesota Public Health Association (MPHA). I’ve been Treasurer since June, and have really enjoyed my increased involvement with the organization. Part of what drew me to the MPHA in the first place is their annual policy forum series. Every year, MPHA tackles a new public health topic by bringing together leaders in our community for a series of four to five policy forums. This year, the forums focus on evidence behind a number of Public Health controversies. The series will kick off on at 7:00 am on November 13 with a forum titled Unhealthy Influences: The Impact of Advertising on the Health of Children. This topic is of particular interest to the Improve Group right now because of our needs assessment and evaluation work with Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) grantees. SHIP aims to reduce tobacco use and obesity through environmental and policy changes, and we know that advertising to children is one factor that can contribute to youth tobacco use and unhealthy eating. For more information about registration for the MPHA policy form, please click here.