THE NATIONAL NETWORK OF PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTES ANNOUNCES THE 2025 OPEN FORUM: NEXT GENERATION CONFERENCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Robert Schroeder, National Network of Public Health Institutes, rschroeder@nnphi.org | Maurice Starks, National Network of Public Health Institutes, mstarks@nnphi.org

PITTSBURGH, PA – In its 22nd year, Open Forum: Next Generation (Open Forum: NxGen) will be hosted by the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) and NNPHI’s National Coordinating Center for Public Health Training (NCCPHT) from October 8-10, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Sponsored by Public Consulting Group, Open Forum will convene hundreds of public health professionals from across the country, providing three days for public health workforce members and leaders nationwide.

“With unprecedented challenges facing public health, events like Open Forum are more important than ever to bring public health professionals together,” said Montrece Ransom, director of NCCPHT at NNPHI. “It’s an exciting time bringing together so many early career professionals and public health veterans as we think about shaping the future of our field.”

Open Forum also includes signature events such as the poster session, conference welcome, keynote address, the awards ceremony, and the return of our Suits & Sneakers Day and Spirit Day.

The keynote speakers for this year’s immersive and impactful conference will be Dr. Kyaien Conner, Ph.D., LSW, MPH and Abigail Mary Dunne-Moses.

With a collaborative atmosphere, Open Forum: Next Generation offers creative and engaging opportunities for new public health workforce professionals, emerging leaders, and seasoned practitioners to learn, share, and innovate together to drive transformative impact through network-building, workforce development, and best practice modernization. Each year, it serves as the premiere public health performance improvement conference fostering meaningful connections, facilitating knowledge exchange, and amplifying voices across the public health career journey.

Follow the conference on social media with the hashtag #OpenForum2025. To learn more about NNPHI, visit NNPHI.org.

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About NNPHI

The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) and its 50 member public health institutes are strengthening public health systems and the workforce locally, statewide and nationally. Working across all 50 states, numerous territories and with tribal organizations, NNPHI’s award-funded efforts are building and improving the systems needed to ensure healthy outcomes for communities across the country.

This work is supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, through OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.