Featured Events

Opening General Session/Keynote Speaker

Wednesday, May 31, 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Laurie Santos, PhD, is a professor of psychology and Head of Silliman College at Yale University. She is an expert on human cognition and the cognitive biases that impede better choices. Her course at Yale, Psychology and the Good Life, teaches students how the science of psychology can provide important hints about how to make wiser choices and live a life that’s happier and more fulfilling. Her course recently became Yale’s most popular course in over 300 years, with almost one of our four students at Yale enrolled.

Her keynote address, Happiness: How to Feel Better in Difficult Times, will explore what new results in psychological science teach us about how to be happier, how to feel less stressed, and how to flourish more. The workshop will also allow participants to put these scientific findings into practice by learning how to build the sorts of habits that promote a happier and more fulfilling life.


Dorosin Memorial Lecture

Friday, June 2, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Donald Meichenbaum, PhD, is Distinguished Professor Emeritus from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, from which he took early retirement 25 years ago. Since that time, he has been Research Director of the Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention in Miami. He is one of the founders of cognitive behavior therapy, and in a survey of clinicians he was voted "one of the ten most influential psychotherapists of the 20th century." 


In his presentation, Vicarious Trauma Among College Health Professionals: Identification and Management, he will describe how the high number and high acuity of mental health concerns among college students has led to vicarious trauma (VT) among college health professionals, increasing burnout and turnover in the field. This program will help professionals identify, manage, and prevent VT.

 

ACHA Leaders' Appreciation Lunch

Tuesday, May 30, 12:00 pm – 1:00 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 president-elects; section chairs and chair-elects; program planners and planners-elect; coalition, committee, and task force chairs; association liaison representatives; the ACHA Board of Directors; the ACHF Board of Directors; and executive leaders of the Journal of American College Health

Newcomer's Orientation: Navigating the ACHA Annual Meeting

Wednesday, May 31, 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 who might want to go out to dinner?
  • 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!

Assembly of Representatives

Friday, June 2, 4:15 pm – 5:00 pm

Provide your input on association governance! If you are an eligible voting member of ACHA, you play a very important role in the governance of the association, and therefore, in the field of college health. Plan to attend the Assembly of representatives and hear association updates, welcome the incoming ACHA president into office, and vote on recommended bylaws amendments.

Mentoring Opportunities

One-On-One Sessions: Thursday, June 1, throughout the day (40 minute sessions)
Small Group Sessions: Friday, June 2, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Advance sign up required.

One-On-One Mentoring Sessions
Whether you're a seasoned veteran facing a challenge or considering a new opportunity, or an emerging leader looking to your colleagues for insight on a specific topic or advice on career development – this one-on-one mentoring program is for you! For one-on-one sessions, mentees will be paired with a mentor based on your availability and the information you provide via the link below.

Sign up today for an individual session

Small Group Mentoring Sessions 
We will also offer small group mentoring sessions on the topic “Building Strategic Partnerships Across Campus.” These discussions will be led by facilitators who have been successful in developing strong inter-disciplinary approaches to college health and well-being on their campuses.

Sign up today for a small group session


Affinity Groups and Reflection Spaces

Wednesday, May 31, 9:00 am - 9:45 am
Thursday, June 1, 4:15 pm - 5:00 pm
Friday, June 2, 5:15 pm - 6:00 pm

BIPOC Affinity Groups are spaces where individuals with shared identities come together for discussions and reflections. Although each person may share multiple identities, affinity groups are intended for those who can speak to that group’s collective racial or ethnic identity and experience from the “we” or “I” perspective. These spaces are for you to speak about your own identity, not to learn about the racial or ethnic identity of others.

This year, we will bring together groups based on racial or ethnic background. As ACHA works to make these spaces more available in the future, opportunities will exist to allow for expansion. If you have interest in supporting spaces (to include LGBTQ+ and/or specific ethnic identities) for ACHA 2024, complete this brief form and we will follow up with you over the summer.

White-Identified Reflection and Action Groups are spaces for white-identified folx who are interested in starting or furthering their anti-racist practice. A crucial part of anti-racism work for white people is examining and deconstructing their whiteness and white privilege. Wherever you fall in the process of practicing anti-racism and deconstructing your whiteness and white privilege, we invite you into this space to explore how we can individually and collectively create a more anti-racist approach within college health and at ACHA.