Audrey Martyn stands with one of her two posters that were selected for presentation by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) at its annual conference.

Congratulations are in order for staff from the Georgia Department of Public Health's (DPH) Epidemiology Section. All of the 14 abstracts submitted for presentation at the national Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists' (CSTE) annual conference were accepted for either oral or poster presentations. In fact, one of the poster presentations by Laura Edison, D.V.M., Ph.D, has already been nominated as a poster awards finalist.

The National Foundation for Governors' Fitness Councils is bringing its multi-million dollar physical fitness campaign to Georgia. The foundation encourages and rewards innovation in the field of youth fitness by awarding fitness centers to schools that use new and unique methods to promote student physical activity and wellness. The program is open to all public or public charter elementary or middle schools throughout the state. Three schools selected by the foundation will be named National Champion Schools and will be awarded $100,000 state-of-the-art Live Positively Fitness Centers for their efforts.

"This is a great day for the state of Georgia. I fully support the efforts to bring the National Champion Schools campaign to our state to help our children get fit," said Gov. Nathan Deal. "I encourage every elementary and middle school in the state to work hard to get nominated for a Live Positively Fitness Center. This innovative program, which aligns with our Georgia SHAPE initiative, will have a lasting effect on the health of our children!"

A campaign from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aims to convince smokers that it's time to quit tobacco before it steals their health.

On April 1, the CDC's Office of Smoking and Health launched its second round of Tips from Former Smokers, also called Tips II, a national effort to reach smokers about the health risks associated with cigarettes and secondhand smoke. The new ads will expand on the initial Tips I campaign ads by including additional population groups and health conditions. The ads will run for approximately 16 weeks.