SSSP Health, Health Policy, and Health Services Division
Minutes of the Annual Business Meeting
12 p.m. Thursday, July 30th (Virtual - Zoom)

In attendance: Raja Staggers-Hakim, Carlos Chapman II, Jennifer Bulanda, Janet Hankin, Maxwell Ilecki, Agata Pacho, John Michael Ryan, David Jed Schwartz, Mary Ellen Stitt
1) Recognition of Division Members: Outgoing Division Co-Chair Raja Staggers-Hakim; introduction of Incoming Co-Chair (2026 – 2028) Carlos Chapman II and continuing Division Co-Chair Jennifer Bulanda
2) Awards Recognition
A.	2026 Outstanding Scholarship Award Winner: John Michael Ryan; Runner-Up: Mary Ellen Stitt
B.  	2026 Graduate Student Paper Award Winner: Ting-Hui Lin; Runner-Up: Kathleen Rita Jackling (D'Alfonso)
3) 2026 Annual Meeting Conference Agenda
Raja Staggers-Hakim encouraged Division members to review the final conference program for the full list of Division sessions. Some sessions are in the process of being combined due to paper withdrawals; these changes will be reflected in the online program.
4) Nominations for Division Positions
Any Division members interested in serving on the Graduate Student Paper Award Committee, Outstanding Scholarship Award Committee, or as Newsletter Editor were encouraged to contact the 2026-2027 Co-Chairs, Carlos Chapman III and Jennifer Bulanda, via email (chapmanc@gram.edu; bulandjr@miamioh.edu). A subsequent email inviting Division members to volunteer will also be distributed during the fall.
5) 2027 - Annual Meeting Planning 
Members were invited to discuss ideas for potential sole- and co-sponsored sessions for 2027 meeting. Conference session planning will take place over the next two months. Suggestions included sessions focused on global health and health care; rural health care (e.g., availability; hospital closures); challenges related to funding & affordability of care and implications for patients; the growth of AI and use of other technology in health care; budget cuts to public health programs and their implications. Members interested in organizing a session for the 2027 SSSP conference were encouraged to contact the co-chairs via email (chapmanc@gram.edu; bulandjr@miamioh.edu) as conference session decisions will happen soon. 
6) Proposed 2027 Division budget
Members discussed the 2026-2027 proposed budget that was submitted to the SSSP Office in the spring. We have been asked to cut expenses, and our Division budget limit is lower ($400) and now linked to the number of Division members we have. The proposed budget draft lowered the amount budgeted for the shared Division reception at the Annual Meeting, the newsletter editor stipend, and the Outstanding Scholarship Award. It retained the same amount for the Graduate Student Paper Award as in previous years. Members discussed potential changes to the proposed budget, including allocating additional funds to the Outstanding Scholarship Award to increase parity with the Graduate Student Paper Award and ensuring that a newsletter editor stipend is an option for the person assuming that role.
7) Other Business
The 2026 Outstanding Scholarship Award Committee suggested that members discuss the Division’s goal in offering an Outstanding Scholarship Award and better articulation of general criteria for the award. The Committee found the award description to be vague, as it invites submissions for both a specific article/book or an entire body of scholarship and does not provide any evaluation criteria; the Committee found this difficult when making award decisions. Members were invited to provide input, and they suggested potential consideration of two Outstanding Scholarship Awards, one more focused on lifetime achievement and one for early/mid-career scholarship. 
Meeting adjourned at 12:37 p.m. by Raja Staggers-Hakim.