Featured Events

There's something for everyone including featured speakers, a special opening celebration, a bustling exhibit hall, and events to connect first-timers as well as seasoned leaders. More to come, so stay tuned!

featured speakers

Keynote Dorosin Memorial Lecture Presidential Closing Session

Keynote

Opening General Session & Keynote Speaker

Wednesday, May 28
10:00 am - 11:30 am

The annual meeting officially kicks off with over 1500+ attendees gathering together for inspiring remarks from ACHA leaders, the meeting's program planning chair, and of course, a distinguished guest keynote.

This year, we welcome Shelina Davis, MPH, MSW, Chief Executive Officer of Louisiana Public Health Institute.

Shelina is a public health social worker, community connector, and health ambassador.

She serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI) where she has the honor of leading and working in partnership with a team of 100+ talented public health professionals along with 500+ community partners on over 70 projects in a given year.

In April 2020, Shelina was appointed to serve as the Louisiana Prisons Sub-Committee Chair on a COVID-19 task force created by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards; she was also appointed to the Louisiana Office of Public Health’s COVID-19 Vaccine Action Collaborative to ensure the safety and well-being of all Louisianans during COVID-19.

Shelina is a proud Louisianan and Historically Black College & University (HBCU) graduate; she lives in New Orleans with her husband, Kenny Lamberti, and adopted dog, Odin.

Dorosin Memorial Lecture

Dorosin Memorial Lecture:

Caring for our Communities, Colleagues, and Selves Following Tragic Events Impacting College Campuses

Friday, May 30
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

The annual Dorosin Memorial Lecture is the flagship event for the ACHA Mental Health Section at the annual meeting. Open to all disciplines, you can expect an engaging conversation around current mental health-related issues, research, or innovations.

This year's speaker is Gerard Lawson, PhD, LPC, LSATP, NCC, professor of counselor education in the School of Education at Virginia Tech.

He has been a disaster mental health volunteer with the American Red Cross since 2002, and has supported numerous national, state, and local disasters.

He was instrumental in helping to coordinate the counseling response to the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007, and he is the author of Virginia Tech’s Disaster Behavioral Health Plan.

He has helped many institutions prepare for crisis response, and works frequently with counselors who have responded, providing debriefing and supportive services. His focus is on building resilience in the individuals (including counselors) and communities that are affected by disasters.

Dr. Lawson’s presentation, Caring for our Communities, Colleagues, and Selves Following Tragic Events Impacting College Campuses, explores the prevalence and impact of trauma-causing events, best practices for response and recovery, and strategies for clinician self-care to support campuses effectively in the wake of crises.

Presidential Closing Session

Events

Exhibit Hall ACHA Celebrates! Newcomer's Orientation Leaders' Lunch Rising & Current Volunteer Leader Coffee Hour Bystander Response Training Let's Talk About It!

Exhibit Hall

Thursday, May 29, 2025
7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Friday, May 30, 2025
7:00 am - 1:30 pm

Your annual meeting experience is not complete without a visit to the vibrant Exhibit Hall. More than 80 companies will be on hand to share their solutions and resources of interest to campus health and wellness stakeholders.

Did we mention there will be raffles, food, even a seated massage station?

Detailed information on which companies will be attending is coming in Spring 2025. Plan now to attend!

ACHA Celebrates!

Wednesday, May 28
Opening Reception: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Awards and Fellows Ceremony: 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

ACHA Celebrates! is an awards ceremony featuring the 2024 Award Recipients and Fellows. These are individuals or groups who are making exceptional contributions to ACHA, the field of college health, or their own health center and campus.

The ceremony follows the Opening Reception, where we will have light appetizers and a cash bar while we network with our friends and colleagues in a fun and informal atmosphere.

All registered meeting attendees are invited, and this is included in your meeting registration fee. ACHA 2024 Annual Meeting name badges will be required for admittance.

Newcomer's Orientation

Newcomer's Orientation: Navigating the ACHA Annual Meeting

Wednesday, May 28
7:30 am – 8:45 am

Is this your first ACHA Annual Meeting? If so, make sure you join us for this informal networking event. You'll be surrounded by colleagues who are asking the same questions you are:

How do I know what sessions would most benefit me?
How do I get involved in a coalition or committee?
Can anyone attend Section and Affiliate Networking meetings?
I'm here by myself — how do I connect with others?
I've downloaded the mobile app, but now what?

And there will be plenty of seasoned meeting veterans on hand — who remember what their first meeting was like — to help you make the most out of your meeting experience!

Leaders' Lunch

ACHA Leaders' Lunch

Tuesday, May 28
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Invitation only. Don't forget to RSVP!

ACHA leaders are invited to the annual ACHA Leaders' Appreciation Lunch, a chance for the association to acknowledge the selfless contributions of its volunteer leaders who aid ACHA in advancing the health and wellness of college students. Invited leaders are current affiliate presidents and presidents-elect; section chairs and chairs-elect; program planners and planners-elect; coalition, committee, and task force chairs; association liaison representatives; the ACHA Board of Directors; and the ACHF Board of Directors.

Rising & Current Volunteer Leader Coffee Hour

Rising and Current Volunteer Leader Coffee Hour

Thursday, May 29
7:00 am - 8:00 am

All meeting attendees are welcome to attend this informal meet and greet with members of the ACHA Board of Directors and volunteer leaders within ACHA. Speak with current ACHA leaders about their roles within ACHA, their journey into ACHA volunteer leadership and learn how you can get more involved with the association in areas that you are interested and passionate about.

Bystander Response Training

Tuesday, May 27
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Advanced sign up required.

ACHA is partnering with NOLA Ready to offer this three-hour combined training, covering hands-only CPR, Stop the Bleed, and opioid overdose prevention.

NOLA Ready is the City’s Emergency Preparedness Campaign, managed by the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness' (NOHSEP) Public Engagement Branch. NOLA Ready provides a direct connection between NOHSEP and the city served, striving to ensure that New Orleanians are prepared and connected to emergency information before, during, and after disasters.

Hands-Only CPR
Hands Only CPR is a course developed by the American Heart Association (AHA) that is designed to teach bystanders the immediate life-saving actions they can take when a person suffers from sudden cardiac arrest. When a person’s heart stops beating and they stop responding, their best chance of survival is reliant on trained bystanders who take action immediately. The Hands-Only CPR course covers compression only CPR (no mouth-to-mouth), how to use an AED, and actions to take if someone is choking.

Stop the Bleed
Stop the Bleed is a training program developed by the American College of Surgeons that is designed to teach bystanders (or “immediate responders”) how to recognize life-threatening bleeding and take action before emergency personnel arrive to assist. The course covers actions such as applying direct pressure, packing a wound, and utilizing a tourniquet when someone suffers a severe bleeding injury.

Overdose Response
An opioid overdose requires immediate emergency attention. This training will teach you how to recognize the signs of opioid overdose and to administer Naloxone, a medication that can reverse an overdose.

Let's Talk About It!

Friday, May 30
7:00am-8:00am

Bring your breakfast and join your ACHA colleagues for small-group discussions on navigating the evolving sociopolitical landscape in college health and well-being. Together, we will reflect and exchange perspectives about how we can uphold mission-driven, values-based, and evidence-informed practices using approaches that support growth, resilience, and continued advancement of health and well-being. All perspectives and experiences are welcome as we engage in thoughtful discussion, reflection, and collective problem-solving.

Featured Events

featured speakers

Opening General Session & Keynote Speaker

Events

Exhibit Hall

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