May 2026
Spotlight: New E-Bike & E-Scooter Topic Page
Emergency medicine and public health professionals have been sounding the alarm about the rising number of injuries caused by e-bikes and e-scooters. Electric motors make e-bikes and e-scooters go faster than kids are often prepared to handle, and many riders are not wearing helmets, resulting in broken bones, concussions, and other types of serious injuries.
Our new topic page includes graphics created by Prevent Child Injury and links to other resources on e-bike and e-scooter safety that you can share with the kids, families, and communities you serve.
Check it out here: https://www.preventchildinjury.org/toolkits/electric-bikes-scooters
T4CIP E-Bike Day of Action: May 20, 2026
Save the date! Join Trainees for Child Injury Prevention (T4CIP) for their #EBikeParentCheck Day of Action on May 20, 2026. Participate in the Day of Action by:
Watching the webinar 2-3 p.m. ET (register here)
Posting on social media with #EBikeParentCheck on May 20
Downloading/using materials from www.t4cip.org/ebikes (more materials will be added soon)
Follow @T4CIP on Instagram for more details!
Webinar: A Conversation About E-Bikes: Understanding the Rising Risk to Youth
E-bikes are everywhere — and more kids and teens are getting hurt while riding them. What are we actually seeing? How serious are these injuries? And what can we do to better protect young riders?
Join T4CIP on May 20, 2026 at 2 pm ET for an open conversation with pediatric injury researchers, emergency physicians, and a traffic safety expert as we explore what the data show and what it means for families and communities. We’ll talk about injury trends, age considerations, and practical ways to reduce risk.
Whether you’re a medical trainee, a public health professional, a community advocate, or simply interested in youth safety, this webinar is open to anyone who wants to better understand this growing issue. Register here.
Social Media Calendar
(View social media calendars here.)
May 4–10: Bike Safety
May 11–17: Water Safety: Boating & Swimming
May 18–24: E-Bikes & E-Scooters
May 25–May 31: Road Safety
Upcoming Events
Event: National Bike Month
Dates: May 1–31, 2026
May is National Bike Month, promoted by the League of American Bicyclists and celebrated in communities from coast to coast. Established in 1956, National Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more folks to giving biking a try.
More information here.
Event: National Water Safety Month
Dates: May 1–31, 2026
May is National Water Safety Month! With support from a coalition of partners, National Water Safety Month is an annual awareness campaign that offers education and resources about drowning prevention.
More information here.
Event: National Child Passenger Safety Technician Month
Dates: May 1–31, 2026
Safe Kids Worldwide is delighted to celebrate our seventh annual national Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) month this May! It is a time for us to celebrate the over 43,000 technicians who serve the community every day, educating families about how to travel safely.
Consider taking a course this May. You can join thousands of other nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians help parents and caregiver properly secure their children in the correct car seat so the child is safe in the event of a crash.
More information here.
Event: Mental Health Month
Dates: May 1–31, 2026
Mental Health America founded Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949 and has led the effort every May to promote mental wellness nationwide. This year’s theme — More Good Days, Together — encourages us all to reflect on what a “good” day looks like, both for ourselves, and for our communities. Together, we can use that insight to connect people to the right support at the right time, and shape advocacy, education, and community engagement to make more good days possible for all.
More information here.
Event: Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
Dates: May 1–31, 2026
With spring’s arrival, more motorcyclists return to the roads, which is why May is designated as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.
More information here.
Webinar: Innovative Funding Processes for Rural Road Safety
Date: May 7, 2026, 1:00 PM ET
Host: U.S. Department of Transportation
State, regional and local transportation agencies will present on innovative funding programs, alternative contracting methods, and flexibilities to distribute resources effectively and efficiently across State, Tribal, and local-owned rural roads to maximize safety impact. Strategies will emphasize effective investments and program eligibilities, non-traditional funding sources, and systemic data-driven investments.
Register here.
Webinar: Practical Approaches to Mental Health in Crisis and Disaster Response
Date: May 12, 2026, 12:00 PM ET
Host: Region IV Public Health Training Center
Natural disasters and large-scale crises don’t just disrupt systems. They reshape how individuals, communities, and organizations experience safety, connection, and meaning. Participants will examine how crises impact mental health across multiple levels, from individual stress responses to organizational strain and community-wide disruption.
Through a human-centered lens, this session emphasizes expanding perspective: understanding not only what is happening, but how it is experienced differently across cultures, identities, and roles. Using practical frameworks and reflective exercises, participants will strengthen their ability to remain grounded, responsive, and effective in high-pressure environments, while also recognizing that how we care for ourselves directly impacts how we care for others, even in crises.
More information and registration here.
Webinar: Open Water Safety 101: Life Jackets, Boating and Risk Reduction
Date: May 12, 2026, 2:00 PM ET
Host: Safe Kids Worldwide
This webinar will highlight important aspects of open-water safety, with a focus on recent advances in boating safety and life jacket education, and recent recommendations around life jacket messaging from the U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan.
Register here.
Webinar: Building Smarter Public Health Systems with AI
Date: May 12, 2026, 2:00 PM ET
Host: NACCHO
Local health departments are under increasing pressure to modernize data systems, strengthen analytic capacity, and deliver faster insights while managing workforce shortages and limited resources. Emerging artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced data solutions offer new opportunities to help agencies detect health trends earlier, improve operational efficiency, and expand access to public health services.
This webinar will explore how organizations can leverage a Data & AI Center of Excellence (CoE) to responsibly implement innovative data and AI solutions that support public health priorities. Drawing from Altarum's experience working with federal, state, and local agencies, the session will highlight practical approaches for identifying high-impact use cases, establishing governance frameworks, and scaling solutions that improve decision-making and workforce productivity.
More information and registration here.
Webinar: From Prevalence to Pattern: A Gender-Specific Examination of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Systemic Inequity Among Black Americans
Date: May 13, 2026, 12:00 PM ET
Host: University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center
Dr. Natasha K. Oyedele is a postdoctoral researcher and epidemiologist whose work sits at the intersection of childhood adversity, substance use, and injury prevention.
While conventional ACE frameworks encompass family violence, abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, unintentional injuries – including motor vehicle crashes, home fires, drowning, burns, and parental death remain largely absent from standard ACE measures. This omission is particularly striking given that unintentional injury is the leading cause of death among individuals younger than 45 and carries profound and lasting consequences for mental and behavioral health across the life course. Dr. Oyedele’s postdoctoral work aims to establish the evidence base for integrating unintentional injury into ACE measurement frameworks, with the goal of advancing more comprehensive and equitable approaches to injury prevention and public health surveillance.
More information and registration here.
Webinar: Methods Session: Beyond Traditional Datasets: Using Poison Center Data to Strengthen Injury Surveillance
Date: May 14, 2026, 1:00 PM ET
Host: SAVIR
As key public health datasets are reduced or discontinued, injury researchers may face growing gaps in timely, actionable data. Poison Centers offer a robust and underutilized resource to help address these challenges. Serving every U.S. state and territory, the Poison Center Network captures near real-time data on exposures reported by both the public and healthcare providers. In this webinar, America’s Poison Centers will provide an overview of the National Poison Data System (NPDS), with a focus on data structure, quality assurance processes, and how data fidelity is maintained in a rapidly evolving data environment. We will also highlight recent and upcoming enhancements that strengthen NPDS as a surveillance and research tool.
The Blue Ridge Poison Center will share applied examples of how poison center data are used for injury surveillance, including data linkage efforts at the University of Virginia that expand analytic capacity and support more actionable public health insights.
This session will help injury researchers understand how to access and use poison center data, and how partnerships with Poison Centers can enhance research with timely data and critical clinical context.
Registration here.
Event: International Water Safety Day
Date: May 15, 2026
International Water Safety Day is designed to help spread global awareness of the ongoing drowning pandemic, and educate the youth in becoming safer in and around water. May 15th is a day to spread drowning awareness and water safety education by any means possible. The lack of water safety education has propelled drownings worldwide. Let's vow to change that!
More information here.
Event: National Safe Boating Week
Dates: May 16–22, 2026
National Safe Boating Week will be held from May 16-22, 2026, reminding all boaters to brush up on boating safety skills and prepare for the boating season. This observance week is the annual kick-off of the Safe Boating Campaign, a global awareness effort that encourages boaters to make the most of their boating adventure by being responsible.
More information here.
Event: EMS Week
Dates: May 17–23, 2026
National Emergency Medical Services Week brings together local communities and medical personnel to honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine's frontline. EMS Week is presented by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in partnership with the National Associations of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT). Together, NAEMT and ACEP lead annual EMS Week activities. These organizations are working to ensure that the important contributions of EMS professionals in safeguarding the health, safety and well-being of their communities are fully celebrated and recognized.
More information here.
Event: 2026 Road to Zero Annual Meeting
Date: May 19, 2026, 9:00 AM ET
Host: National League of Cities
Join us at the National League of Cities (660 North Capitol Street, Washington, DC 20001) or virtually for keynote speakers from the forefront of traffic safety, a recap of our work over the past year, and a preview of our Road to Zero Community Traffic Safety Grant recipient projects. Expect engrossing conversations about the future of behavioral safety and vehicle technology.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a hybrid event and this form should be used for both in-person and virtual registration. Virtual attendees will be sent a webinar link. In-person attendees will be added to the guest list at the National League of Cities.
Registration here.
Webinar: Car Seats 201: Tips, Tricks and Exceptions
Date: May 19, 2026, 2:00 PM ET
Host: National Child Passenger Safety Board
The CPST Certification Training Course provides the basic framework for understanding child restraints; however, there isn’t enough time to fully cover the tips, tricks and exceptions we encounter in the real world. This webinar, presented by Erin Brill, will address techniques for maximizing efficiency during installation, typical rule exceptions, as well as a review of how to locate this information.
Register here.
Event: T4CIP Day of Action: E-Bikes
Date: May 20, 2026
Join Trainees for Child Injury Prevention (T4CIP) for their #EBikeParentCheck Day of Action on May 20, 2026. Participate in the Day of Action by:
Watching the webinar 2-3 p.m. ET (register here)
Posting on social media with #EBikeParentCheck on May 20
Downloading/using materials from www.t4cip.org/ebikes (more materials will be added soon)
Follow @T4CIP on Instagram for more details!
More information here.
Webinar: A Conversation About E-Bikes: Understanding the Rising Risk to Youth
Date: May 20, 2026, 2:00 PM ET
Host: Trainees for Child Injury Prevention
E-bikes are everywhere — and more kids and teens are getting hurt while riding them. What are we actually seeing? How serious are these injuries? And what can we do to better protect young riders?
Join T4CIP on May 20, 2026 at 2 pm ET for an open conversation with pediatric injury researchers, emergency physicians, and a traffic safety expert as we explore what the data show and what it means for families and communities. We’ll talk about injury trends, age considerations, and practical ways to reduce risk.
Register here.
Webinar: Program Evaluation Skills for Public Health Practitioners
Date: May 20, 2026, 8:50 AM–12:00 PM ET
Host: Region IV Public Health Training Center
This introductory-level workshop provides public health practitioners with essential program evaluation skills. The course begins with an overview of the CDC’s updated Six-Step Framework for Evaluation, and the ways that it differs from the previous framework. We will cover logic models, ways to employ logic models for program planning and evaluation, and strategies for choosing evaluation measures and data collection methods based on your specific program and evaluation goals. At the completion of the course, participation should be able to constructively contribute to the design and implementation of public health program evaluations.
Note: This workshop has limited capacity. This is an online, interactive workshop on May 20, 2026, from 8:50 am - 12 pm ET. Participants will use Zoom to join with both video and audio. More information and registration here.
Webinar: Public Health Communications for Impact: Approaches to Strengthening Infrastructure
Date: May 21, 2026, 2:00 PM ET
Host: ASTHO
Effective communication is not just about messaging. It depends on strong systems, resourcing, and coordination behind the scenes. As health departments face increasing demands to demonstrate impact, communicate value, and navigate complex environments, communications stands as a foundational public health capability.
This webinar will explore how public health agencies can strengthen their communications infrastructure to improve reach, effectiveness, and sustainability. Join us for an introduction to the Public Health Communications Collaborative's newly published Overcoming Challenges & Leveraging Strengths: Action Guide for Communicators at Public Health Agencies, which outlines evidence‑based strategies for organizing and operating effective public health communications functions.
More information and registration here.
Event: Don’t Fry Day
Date: May 22, 2026
The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention designated the Friday before Memorial Day as Don’t Fry Day. The Council’s goal is to encourage sun safety awareness by reminding everyone to protect their skin while enjoying the outdoors on Don’t Fry Day and every day.
More information here.
Webinar: Public Health Online: Writing for and Reaching the Right Audience
Date: May 26, 2026, 12:00 PM ET
Host: Region IV Public Health Training Center
Communicating public health information to broad audiences can be challenging, especially when translating complex concepts into clear, accessible messages. This webinar is designed to help professionals strengthen their communication strategies across multiple channels, including newsletters and social media. This session will also offer tools to improve the clarity, engagement, and impact of communication efforts amongst public health professionals.
More information and registration here.