Highlights from ACHA Networks
ACHA's networks are moving the association and the field of college health and well-being forward every day. Find out what they've been working on, opportunities to get involved, and more.
Jump to updates from:
Affiliates | Coalitions | Committees & Task Forces | Sections
Affiliate Updates
Central College Health Association
The 2027 Meeting of the Minds Conference, hosted by CCHA and Missouri Partners in Prevention, is coming back to St. Louis April 8–10!
The Call for Programs is now open, seeking topics across college health, well-being, prevention, peer education, safety, and more. We especially want to hear about successful programs and interventions actively engaging students on your campus! Program proposals are due December 18, 2026.
Mid-Atlantic College Health Association
MACHA has a new Executive Board: President Jennifer Jones-Damis, Rutgers University (New Brunswick); Immediate Past President Pooja Padgaonkar, Rutgers University (Newark); President-Elect Joseph Henson, Seton Hall University; Vice President Samantha Stimmel, Rutgers University (Newark); Treasurer Edythe-Anne Cook, American University; Secretary Betty Stolarski, Rutgers University (New Brunswick); Member-at-Large Emily Carper, Johns Hopkins University; Member-at-Large Chris Ouren, James Madison University; and Board Liaison Michele Richardson, Bowie State University.
Southern College Health Association
Registration for SCHA 2027 opens October 10! New this year, SCHA is accepting student poster presentations, giving students an opportunity to share their work with the college health community. The Call for Posters is open to students only through November 6, 2026.
SCHA also hosts monthly Coffee Chats, bringing members together throughout the year for timely conversations and connection. Visit the SCHA website for conference details, Coffee Chat information, important dates, and other upcoming opportunities for members.
Southwest College Health Association
Join your SWCHA colleagues for monthly Coffee Chats! These virtual events are typically held the third Wednesday of each month at 8:30 am CT.
On October 21, we will be about learning about the JED Healthy Campus initiative. The November 18 chat topic will be on GLP1s in the college population. We're looking forward to a great time for learning, conversation, and building community!
Coalition Updates
Sexual Health Coalition
We had a great first two meetings! In August, we got a sneak preview of preliminary sexual health data from the Clinical Benchmarking Survey; in September, we had a presentation for providers on how to talk about sex. Join us for our October monthly meeting on 10/21 at 11am EST/8am PST as we discuss tips and strategies for navigating sexual and reproductive red tape in more restrictive states. Hope to see you there!
Committee & Task Force Updates
Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee
The Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee is excited to report that nearly 300 program proposals have been submitted by you and your colleagues for consideration for the 2027 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. This wealth of interest and engagement provides such a strong foundation for designing a meeting congruent with the theme of "Building Community, Inspiring Partnerships." Now begins the committee's extensive work to review submissions and craft a final agenda -- work which will take us through to the end of the year. Speakers will be notified around mid-December whether their submission has been selected.
Healthy Campus Committee
The committee received an update from Lisa Schrader and Josh Stone, Middle Tennessee State University: "We used the Healthy Campus Inventory to shift an Exercise as Medicine taskforce into a more holistic wellness committee. The inventory process fostered shared knowledge and collaboration among Student Affairs, faculty, and HR representatives, revealing 15 years of student health data and highlighting campus-wide resources. Discussion of these insights shaped our strategic planning and led to a centralized website, a process to gather crucial baseline data on employee wellness, and a pilot “Wellness Champions” program."
Student Engagement Task Force
The task force is revitalizing the ACHA Student Section by expanding student engagement, conference participation, and presentation opportunities. Members will mentor students submitting proposals for ACHA 2027, while the group updates its Articles of Operation and prepares for its first virtual Student Section meeting in November. Plans are also underway to establish a student-led Executive Board, recruit faculty/staff advisors, and offer a dedicated afternoon of student-focused programming at ACHA 2027.
Section Updates
Administration Section
The ACHA Administration Section has launched a 2026–2027 Networking Series designed to connect college health professionals for practical conversation, peer learning, and shared problem-solving. Monthly topics include AI in college health, successes and failures, revenue cycle and insurance, leadership development, staffing and retention, peer consultation, and using dashboards to tell our story. Administration Section members and interested colleagues are welcome to participate.
Health and Well-Being Executive Leaders Section
The HWEL Section has hit the ground running. We will be announcing our popular webinars in the weeks to come. In the interim, join us for our first all-section meeting on October 14th at noon eastern. More information to follow in our newsletter, which will be shared in our ACHA Connect community(opens in new tab).
Mental Health Section
The Mental Health Section kicked off our year with monthly meetings with a variety of topics such as program planning and debrief, managing outsourcing pressures, ADHD assessment, and gamblification in college students. More topics to come. Our section community in ACHA Connect(opens in new tab) has meeting minutes, recordings, upcoming meeting dates, times, and links.
