Make the Most of Your APHA Membership - Get Involved in Your Section
The Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section is the largest section in APHA with more than 3,800 members (that is 14.57 percent of the total APHA members). Of those, more than 90 members just joined the Section between January and March 2007. Thank you for becoming members, and welcome to the PHEHP Section!
With a section this size, there are plenty of opportunities to advance health promotion/health education within our section and throughout the association. The PHEHP has several committees including Program Planning, Advocacy, Awards, Continuing Education, Health Communication Working Group and Worksite Health Promotion Working Group. Becoming a member of a committee also provides networking opportunities with other members who share your interests.
The Membership Committee especially invites students to join and be active in the Section. If you know students focusing on health education, promotion or health communications who would like to join the Section, please contact the membership committee co-chairs.
Committee involvement requires only a few hours per week. Please e-mail the Membership Committee co-chairs to explore volunteer opportunities.
Return to Top
Health Education and Health Promotion Professionals Make a Difference
For this edition of the newsletter we had the honor of interviewing a leader in the area of Health Education and Health Promotion, Elaine Auld. Elaine is a professional who could inspire many students and new professionals. Her experience shows the many opportunities that are available in health education and health promotion.
Auld earned her bachelor's degree in community health education from Kent State University, a master of public health from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and became a Certified Health Education Specialist in 1988. She is currently the Executive Director for the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). Before assuming this position she was director of public health for the International Food Information Council, manager of technical projects for the International Life Sciences Institute-Nutrition Foundation, health education specialist for Capital Systems Group, Inc., and coordinator of patient and community health education at Parma Hospital. Her current and recent appointments and awards include:
The University of Michigan School of Public Health Alumni Board of Governors (2004-present).
The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Adjunct Faculty (2005 – present).
American Public Health Association (APHA) Action Board and liaison to the Joint Policy Committee (2003-present; chair, 2005).
APHA Executive Board (2005).
APHA Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section (Advocacy Chair 2002-present.
Awards Committee 1997-2002; prior offices such as Secretary, Governing Councilor, Section Councilor, Section Whip, newsletter editor, etc. 1980-1997).
International Union for Health Promotion and Education, North American Regional Office, Trustee (2002-present).
Founder, Health Education Advocacy Summit, sponsored by Coalition of National Health Education Organizations (1998-present).
Site team reviewer, Council on Education for Public Health (1995-present).
Eta Sigma Gamma Distinguished Service Award (2003).
AAHE/HEDIR Health Education Technology Award (2003).
APHA PHEHP Judith R. Miller Award (1997).
SOPHE Trophy (1996).
Kent State University Distinguished Health Education Alumnus Award (1991).
Q&A with Elaine
There are many areas under public health. Why did you choose health education/health promotion (HE/HP) over any other field?
“During my first two years of college, I was undeclared. I had more ideas of what I didn’t want to be when I grew up than what jobs interested me. A personal health course turned me on to health education and working in the community. I was blessed with wonderful mentors – Gwen Scott at Kent State and Scott Simonds and Nan Stout at The University of Michigan School of Public Health – who helped me realize the impact I could make. I was also attracted to the uniqueness of being a health educator – not a dime a dozen. The idea of empowering people to live fuller, healthier lives excited me then – and still does today.”
Can you please describe for our Section members your most rewarding experience in HE/HP?
“It’s hard to select just one rewarding part of my career. I’ve been fortunate to have many experiences that have contributed to my satisfaction: a field experience in Paraguay with the Amigos de las Americas; creating one of the first patient education programs in the late '70s; working with leading journalists and using the power of the media to reach the public about food safety; moving SOPHE’s offices to Washington, D.C.; testifying before Congress on behalf of health education; and conceptualizing and organizing the first health education advocacy summit. What’s true for all of these experiences is that they tested my limits and made me take some important personal and professional risks. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention my experiences over the years with PHEHP. Being involved with the Section has exposed me to so many opportunities, not to mention the wonderful people I have been fortunate to work with and learn from. The time I have devoted has really been “service learning” to the 10th power!”
In your opinion, what strategies can be implemented to attract more students and new professionals to go into the HE/HP field?
“One idea is to use health education majors on college campuses to organize public health career fairs and lectures. SOPHE has written a proposal for this idea, with support from Eta Sigma Gamma. Our idea is to reach out to undeclared majors on college campuses and invite them to learn about public health careers, especially those attending historically black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions. This would be a win/win by giving health education students an opportunity to use their program planning skills and test their abilities to communicate – and by giving undeclared majors exposure to new and exciting careers. We still hope to find a funder for this proposal so that we can attract more minorities to the public health pipeline, including health education.”
We live in an environment that is constantly changing and it is important for public health professionals to recognize such changes in order to meet the needs of our communities. How do you perceive our profession changing in the next 10 years?
“In my opinion, health education is on a very positive trajectory. First, health educators have the skill set to address the nation’s changing demographics, such as cultural diversity and the increased interest in community empowerment. Second, with emphasis on quality assurance in the work force, health education is ahead of the curve than other public health occupations by carefully articulating our competencies and having an established certification system. Health education groups are also working more collaboratively than ever on projects such as marketing the profession to employers.What also offers great promise is that many of our health education peers have risen to very senior/CEO-like positions in academia, government and non-profit agencies. These senior individuals can help make systemic changes that can increase the visibility of our profession and availability of jobs/opportunities. We need to do more to strengthen and expand our health education career ladders.”
Last but not least, can you tell us what are your professional goals for the next five years?
“Over the next five years, I see myself as continuing to work in the nation’s capitol and being a catalyst for policy change at the federal level for public health. I aspire to earn recognition as a certified association executive (CAE) to become a better leader and administrator. I also hope to sharpen my technology skills to take better advantage of the rapidly changing information age. Last but not least, I hope to continue serving as a unifying force for the health education profession, respecting its diversity and traditions, but also helping to push the envelope for innovation and excellence.”
Return to Top
Coalition for Emergency Preparedness among Chronic Conditions
While the hurricanes of 2005 were responsible for tremendous hardships for the population at large, a survey, conducted by the School of Public Health at Louisiana State University (2005), determined that those with chronic conditions endured further complications with their situation and recovery. One chronic disease area that was hit particularly hard was the bleeding disorders community.
Hemophilia is a hereditary blood disorder, characterized by bleeding into joints and muscles and at times into vital organs. For all patients with severe bleeding disorders having access to factor replacement product is a life and death issue; the treatment is essential to stop joint bleeding and all internal bleeding. 
Spurred by our efforts to assist bleeding disorders patients in the Gulf, the National Hemophilia Foundation, along with the Centers for Disese Control and Prevention and Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness has embarked on emergency and disaster preparedness training.
Our main goal has been to inform, educate and foster strategies for collaboration on local emergency preparedness planning for those affected and/or serving persons with bleeding disorders. Six months after our initial training, 72.4 percent, of those trained, reported an average of 2.4 emergency preparedness actions taken; 100 percent of the actions were directly related to NHF’s initial training.
Tailoring emergency preparedness knowledge for specific populations with chronic conditions is an effective method of imparting life-saving information. The National Hemophilia Foundation, the National Center for Disease Preparedness and the CDC Division of Blood Disorders are developing a model for emergency preparedness that can be adapted by other organizations serving individuals and families with chronic conditions. We are looking for additional partner organizations to ensure that all people with chronic conditions are prepared for the next emergency. If your organization is interested in joining NHF’s effort, please contact Jen Crawford at (212) 328-3738 or jcrawford@hemophillia.org .
Return to Top
New Strategy to Address Childhood Obesity
The Institute of Medicine's Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth has outlined a comprehensive strategy to address the rising prevalence of childhood obesity. School-based programs to improve nutrition and exercise behaviors form an important component of this strategy.
The Yale Prevention Research Center has developed two innovative exercise and nutrition programs aimed at improving nutrition label literacy and exercise levels among elementary school children. The programs called Nutrition Detectives and ABC For Fitness (Activity Bursts in the Classroom) provide fun, interactive methods to educate and engage elementary school children and facilitate adoption of healthier lifestyles.
Nutrition Detectives is an educational program for Grades K-5 intended to facilitate bet