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More than 1,500 epidemiologists from all over the world met in Boise, Idaho, June 4-8, for four days of roundtable discussions, education sessions, and networking opportunities. (Photos courtesy of Idaho Tourism)
At a time when the United States is facing one of the worst flu seasons in history, an increasingly worse opioid crisis, and an uptick in hurricanes and wildfires, epidemiologists all over the country are working overtime. The public health professionals play an integral role in identifying and helping to manage health threats to our communities, containing and preventing the problems from spreading. This made the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists’ (CSTE) 2017 Annual Conference even more critical. More than 1,500 epidemiologists from all over the world met in Boise, Idaho, June 4-8, for four days of roundtable discussions, education sessions, and networking opportunities.
The Boise Centre hosted the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists’ (CSTE) 2017 Annual Conference.
“The 2017 Conference was our largest to date,” CSTE’s Senior Director of Operations, Beverly Christner, tells Convene. “Attendees from all 50 states, the U.S. territories, and nations like China, India, Nigeria, and Uganda joined us in Boise for the event.”
The public health professionals convened at the Boise Centre to discuss topics like environmental health surveillance with water and wildfire issues, controlling healthcare-associated infections, and lessons learned from the Zika outbreak. Last year was the perfect time for Boise to welcome CSTE’s largest conference, too, after the Boise Centre’s recent expansion, the final phase of which was completed in July. The venue now has an added wing, an elevated concourse, a new junior ballroom, an executive board room, and an outdoor patio. It now offers 31 flexible meeting rooms and more than 80,000 square feet of event space.
“The recent Boise Centre expansion really met the needs of our event and attendees,” Christner says. “The center is very clean, spacious, and versatile. Also, downtown Boise is fun and very walkable, with many restaurants, coffee shops, and retail stores, which our attendees truly enjoyed.”
CSTE conference attendees were impressed with the new Inn at 500 Capitol in Boise.
Delegates at CSTE also got to experience some nature while in Boise, “including the Boise National Forest and some local parks,” Christner says. “We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the 2017 conference, the Boise Centre, and downtown Boise.”
A new addition to downtown, the Inn at 500 Capitol also left a mark on CSTE attendees. “It’s a beautiful new hotel,” Christner says, “with great accommodations and a very friendly and helpful staff.” The boutique property offers 112 luxury rooms, in addition to meeting space for more intimate events and cocktail hours.
“Given the success of our 2017 conference, we’ll definitely consider Boise as a location for a future CSTE conference,” Christner says. “Overall, the city of Boise definitely left a strong, positive impression upon our members and attendees.”
