Transforming the Vision into Reality:
You Can be Part of it

The theme of our February 17-21, 2003 Art and Science of Health Promotion Conference is "Transforming the Vision Into Reality." The vision is a world in which health promotion is integrated into all elements of society, all health disciplines and is available to all people. (See www.HealthPromotionAdvocates.org for more details on efforts to make this vision a reality.) To achieve this goal, our conference has three central components: excellent conference sessions, collaboration-building efforts, and visits with members of Congress on Capitol Hill.

Conference Content

Our core conference sessions will be divided into six tracks: Transformational Processes, The Business Case for Health Promotion, Practical Health Promotion Skills, Political Advocacy, Health Policy, and Research. Within these tracks, we will offer 3 keynote presentations, 36 breakout sessions, program descriptions, research presentations, panel discussions, poster presentations, and a new series of sessions called PEER to PEER.

In addition to the Core conference, we will be offering three two-day Summits and two Intensive Training Seminars which will focus in-depth attention on five essential topics. Our Summits will focus on "Women's Health Promotion," "HIV/AIDS in the Workplace," and "Health and Productivity."

Collaborative Efforts

We are working with 18 different organizations to plan the core conference, and six others on the Summits. The input from these groups has been critical in developing a conference program shaped to achieve our conference goals and provide practical content for the health promotion community. Equally important, by working with these groups, we are gaining a better understanding of the priorities of the diverse professionals they serve, and expanding our advocacy base.

Advocacy Efforts

One afternoon of the conference will be devoted to visits with members of Congress on Capitol Hill. The focus of these visits will be to gain support for the Health Promotion Research Act, which will be introduced in the first quarter of 2003. Advocacy training sessions will be offered the morning of the visits and prior to the conference.

Plan to join us, and see www.HealthPromotionConference.org for more details.

Conference Collaborators

• American Academy of Nursing
• American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc.
• American College Health Association
• American College of Preventive Medicine
• American College of Sports Medicine
• American Public Health Association
• American Psychological Association
• American School Health Association
• Association of Academic Health Centers
• Health Promotion Research Foundation
• International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association
• National Council on the Aging
• National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties
• Partnership for Prevention
• Society for Nutrition Education
• Washington Business Group on Health
• Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA)
• Society for Behavioral Medicine

Summit Collaborators

• American Women’s Medical Association
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Health Resources and Services Administration
• Institute for Health and Productivity Management
• Jacob’s Institute for Women’s Health
• Society for Women’s Health Research

Health Promoting Community Design

We are in the process of developing a new editorial section called "Health Promoting Community Design."  This section will feature editorials, literature reviews, and research on efforts to enhance health through the physical design and structure of neighborhoods, roads, and communities. Dr. Jo Anne Earp is the editor of this new section and Dr. Robin Moore and Rich Killingsworth are the associate editors. We are also in the process of preparing a special issue of our journal devoted exclusively to this topic. See page 373 for the Call for Manuscripts for the special issue.

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