Join Us for the NHPHA 2026 Annual Meeting: Granite Strong. Future Ready.

There are moments when public health feels like it is holding steady—and moments when it feels like everything is shifting at once.

Across New Hampshire, we are in one of those later moments of change.

Funds for new federal investments are beginning to flow. Rural health systems are being reimagined. Communities are being asked to do more—with new resources, but also new expectations. And at the center of it all is a fundamental question: how do we build a system that works—for everyone, in every part of the state?

That question is at the heart of the conversation at New Hampshire Public Health Association’s 2026 Annual Meeting, taking place on Thursday, April 23, from 5:00–8:00 PM at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, NH.

This year’s theme, “Granite Strong. Future Ready: The Power of Place in Public Health,” reflects on both where we are and where we need to go—grounded in the strengths and needs of our communities and clear-eyed about the work ahead.

GO-NORTH: A Defining Moment for Rural Health

We are honored to welcome Donnalee Lozeau, Director of the Governor’s Office of New Opportunities & Rural Transformational Health (GO-NORTH), as our keynote speaker.

Donnalee will speak to one of the most significant developments in New Hampshire health policy in recent years: the Rural Health Transformation Program.

This program represents opportunity as new federal resources come into the state to support innovative investments to improve health in NH through workforce development, infrastructure upgrades, and better access to primary and behavioral health care.

It also represents more than funding. It is an opportunity to translate NH based ideas into real outcomes. GO-NORTH can align systems that have historically operated in silos. And, it can strive to insure that communities—not just institutions—feel the impact.

Donnalee’s leadership places her at the center of this effort, and her perspective will help frame not only how the program works, but what it could accomplish.

An Evening of Connection and Momentum

The Annual Meeting is designed not just as a conversation, but as a space to reconnect and move forward together.

The event will include:

• A showcase of student poster presentations, highlighting the next generation of public health leadership. Students can sign up here

• Opportunities to connect with colleagues and partners from across the state,

• Recognition of leaders advancing health equity and community well-being,

• An interactive session on rural health transformation, building on the themes of the keynote.

It is a chance to step back from day-to-day demands and focus on the bigger picture—where we are as a field, and where we are going.

Looking Ahead New Hampshire

Public health in New Hampshire is entering a new phase.

There is real opportunity. There are new resources. There is growing recognition of the importance of prevention, coordination, and community-based care.

But there are also real challenges: workforce shortages, rising costs, gaps in access, and the need to rebuild trust in public systems.

Meeting this moment will require more than programs or policies alone.

It will require alignment. Collaboration. And a shared commitment to improving health for all Granite Staters.