Time to Register: Art and Science of Health Promotion Conference

As a conservative journal editor, I normally avoid hyperbole, but I can't hold back this time. Our February 12-16, 2001 Art and Science of Health Promotion Conference, in Washington, DC, will be the most important conference in our history. The evolution of our field is at stake.

Theme. The conference theme is Building Health Promotion into the National Agenda. This conference will serve as a central element in our efforts to enhance the importance of health promotion within the national health care agenda. Our long term goal in this political advocacy process is to create a healthier nation. If we succeed, health promotion professionals will have more challenging and rewarding careers, programs will be better funded and more effective, and our nation's people will live longer and healthier lives. As I have discussed in past Editor's Notes,our initial focus will be increasing federal funding for health promotion research and information dissemination.

Advocacy Effort. On Thursday afternoon, February 15, we will travel en masse to Capitol Hill to advocate for increased funding for health promotion research. By that time, we expect to have a congressional bill written that provides for this funding. We will train all conference participants regarding what to say and will help arrange appointments with senators from each state and representatives from each district represented by conference attendees.

Speakers. To provide the scientific basis for this effort, we have assembled over 35 of the top scientists, practitioners and policy experts in health promotion to speak at this conference. Our opening keynote speaker will be David Satcher, MD, PhD, Assistant Secretary for Health and Surgeon General. Our plenary speakers include Ralph Nader, Green party presidential candidate and Senator William Frist, MD, of Tennesse. The stature of our other speakers is comparable to our keynote speakers. (a sampling of speakers is given below).

Conference Tracks. Conference sessions will be organized into six tracks: "The Best Evidence on the Financial Impact of Health Promotion," " The Best Evidence on the Health Impact of Health Promotion," "The Most Effective Strategies," "Health Policy," "Political Advocacy," and "Emerging Trends." Organizing the conference in this way allows us to provide all the content necessary for our advocacy effort but also provides practical how-to sessions for practitioner who need to improve their programs now.

Partner Associations. To enhance the impact of this conference and our advocacy efforts, we are partnering with three prominent membership organizations. Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA), the Public Health Education and Health Promotion section of the American Public Health Association and the Association for Worksite Health Promotion. These organizations helped us plan the conference, are active in the advocacy effort and their members receive a substantial discount to attend.

How to Register. I certainly hope you can join us. You can register at our website www.HealthPromotionConference.org, call 248-682-0707 or by completing the registration form which was mailed with this issue.

See you there!

A Sampling of Speakers: Steven N. Blair, PED, Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, Lester Breslow, MD, MPH, UCLA School of Public Health, Dee W. Edington, PhD, University of Michigan, Mary Jane England, MD, Washington Business Group on Health, Michael P. Ericksen, ScD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Barry A. Franklin, PhD, William Beaumont Hospital, James F. Fries, MD, Stanford University, Lawrence W. Green, DrPH, Centers for Disease Contol and Prevention, Jessie Gruman, PhD, Center for the Advancement of Health, William R. Harlan, MD, National Institutes of Health, David Hunnicutt, PhD, Wellness Councils of America,Wendy D. Lynch, PhD, William M. Mercer, Inc., Matthew L. Myers, National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, James O. Prochaska, PhD, University of Rhode Island, Nico P. Pronk, PhD, HealthPartners Research Foundation, Michael Samuelson, MA, Samuelson and Associates, Bernard Sanders, Member of Congress, Brian Luke Seward, PhD, Inspiration Unlimited, Victor Strecher, PhD, MPH, HealthMedia, Inc., Reed Tuckson, MD, United Health Group, Mary Woolley, Research!America, and Randolph F. Wykoff, MD, MPH, TM, Department of Health and Human Services. For a complete list of speakers, see our web page: www.HealthPromotionConference.org. 

Michael P. O'Donnell, PhD, MBA, MPH
Editor in Chief, American Journal of Health Promotion