AP2026 will bring together advocates, researchers, and public health leaders from across the country this month to advance evidence-based alcohol policy solutions. We are excited to join our alcohol policy partners for a panel presentation: From Surveillance to Session: Building and Utilizing a Collaborative Retail Alcohol Data Infrastructure to Advance State Policy.

We’ll share about the RAD collaborative, a multi-state effort to examine the alcohol retail environment. Last year, 30 coalitions and agencies across 15 states visited 2,368 off-premise licensed alcohol outlets to collect local data on the availability, pricing, and marketing of 7 ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages that are especially dangerous and/or appeal to young people. Analysis of this data reveealed that high-alcohol-by-volume ready-to-drink beverages are widely available and have cheap prices-per-standard-drink.

  • Maria Kovell, MPA, Executive Director for Counter Tools will share about the survey tool development, data collection, and descriptive findings.
  • Dr. Kayla Tillett, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor at James Madison University will share about the policy data methods and findings.
  • Rick Collins, Project Director for the Hawai‘i Alcohol Policy Alliance will share how this surveillance data informed legislative advocacy efforts in Hawai‘i.
  • Dr. Matt Rossheim, PhD, MPH, CPH, FAAHB, Associate Professor, Department of Health Administration and Health Policy at the University of North Texas Health Science Center will moderate the panel session.

Help us bring more people to AP2026

 

Federal grant cuts and state budget pressures have made conference travel difficult for many public health professionals. You can help:

  • Bring a colleague for 75% off. If your organization would like to send a second person but cost is a barrier, use code AP202675 for 75% off their registration.
  • 90% off scholarships for displaced public health professionals. USAPA is offering up to 20 scholarships to public health professionals who have lost federal or state government positions. Recipients pay just 10% of the $850 registration fee. Please share the scholarship application with your networks: AP2026 Scholarship Application.

Learn more about the RAD collaborative here: Findings from the Retail Alcohol Data (RAD) collaborative