Art and Science of Health Promotion Conference:
Creating Opportunities for Innovation and Growth
March 20–24, 2006 Las Vegas, Nevada

The theme of our March 20–24, 2006 Art and Science of Health Promotion Conference is  “Creating Opportunities for Innovation and Growth.” We selected this theme in recognition of the historical growth the health promotion field has experienced for the past 2 years. The continuing increase in medical care costs combined with reliable research showing the link among lifestyle, health, and medical costs; a mildly strong economy; and access to qualified health promotion providers have given employers the motivation and opportunity to develop health promotion programs for their employees. The obesity and childhood diabetes epidemics have put a face on this situation for policy makers, and legislative advocacy efforts have given federal and state governments the mechanisms they need to incorporate health promotion into state and national policy.

In the past 30 years, we have seen similar growth spurts, one in the early 1980s caused by the emerging high-tech field and medical cost increases, and another in the late 1990s, caused by medical cost increases and a labor shortage. Both were followed by contractions in the field that roughly coincided with containment of medical costs and contractions in the economy. The current growth spurt may be different. The age- related illnesses of the graying baby boomers and the obesity-driven illness of the younger generation will keep medical costs rising for decades. The increasing challenge of U.S. businesses to remain price competitive with foreign companies whose medical care costs are 30% to 90% lower will insure this is an issue in corporate boardrooms. The approaching bankruptcy of Medicare will make it even more prominent in the U.S. Congress.

We health promotion professionals have a role in sustaining this growth as well. If health promotion programs can produce significant improvements in health, be delivered in a cost-effective manner, and produce clear financial returns, they will become an integral and permanent part of most large workplaces and be funded with budgets two to three times the current levels. If we can refine our ability to serve people working for small employers, members of health clubs and other community organizations, children and older adults, as well as people with chronic diseases, the populations we reach will grow more than tenfold. If we can communicate these successes to the U.S. Congress and state legislatures through advocacy efforts, health promotion will become an integral part of national policy. If we fail to do any of these things, we will miss a huge opportunity.

Our 2006 conference will explore how we can sustain this growth, largely through innovation and new partnerships. The conference will be organized in four tracks: Innovation and Quality Improvement, Practice Skills, Financial Analysis, and Advocacy. Our keynote and featured speakers include Dr. Deepak Chopra, author of more than 35 books that have sold more than 20 million copies and been translated into dozens of languages; Jim Collins, author of four books, including Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, and Built to Last; Dr. Ken Blanchard, management consultant and author of more than 30 best selling books; Dr. Steve Blair, senior scientific editor for the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, author of almost 300 scientific papers and chapters, and one of the top epidemiologists in the world; and Stephen Lundin, organization culture expert, film maker, and author of the best selling book, Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results. They will join more than 60 breakout and peer presenters on the Art and Science of Health Promotion Conference faculty, and more than 100 additional presenters from the IHRSA International Convention and Trade Show.

The conference setting is Las Vegas, not one of the most health-enhancing settings in the nation, but clearly one of the best illustrations of growth and innovation in architecture, consumer marketing and entertainment. Our collaboration on this conference with IHRSA has produced economies of scale that allow us to reduce our registration fees to $395 for the core conference for those who register in advance. For details on the conference program, see the brochure sent with this issue, or our conference Web site: www.HealthPromotionConference.org.

I look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas.

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