Columbia Health Wins Emerging Practices Award in ACHA Conference

Medical Services’ poster on its self-collection program for sexually transmitted infection testing receives honors 

By
Columbia Health
June 16, 2021

In keeping with our mission to advance the health and well-being of the Columbia University community, Columbia Health continues to innovate the programs and services we deliver for students and to share developments and lessons learned with the broader college health community.

Columbia Health is proud to announce that one of our team’s submissions to ACHA 2021 Virtual, the American College Health Association’s annual conference, was selected as the winner in the Emerging Practices Award category. The poster “Creating a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Self-Collection Testing Program and Adapting for COVID-19: Express Collect” details how Medical Services and GHAP piloted a program to make STI testing more accessible to the student population by directing eligible students to a self-collection program.

During the pilot period, the COVID-19 swept through the nation, requiring the team to pivot quickly to integrate virtual delivery into the process. The result was a virtual consultation and semi-contactless STI screening program that enhanced student flexibility and privacy, helped promote physical distancing guidelines, and improved clinician accessibility for other medical concerns.

Morningside students, learn more about the Express Collect program and avail of this self-collection STI testing program or visit our website to learn about the various ways Columbia Health can support your sexual and reproductive health.


The American College Health Association is the principal leadership organization for advancing the health of college students and campus communities through advocacy, education, and research. It serves nearly 5,500 individual college health and wellness professionals, representing over 800 institutions of higher education and the collective health and wellness needs of 20 million college students.