We invite you to submit an abstract for a oral or poster presentation, as a concurrent session, pre-conference workshop, or poster, at the SOPHE Midyear Scientific Conference to be held May 7-9, 2009 in the city of jazz, culture, and epicurean delights - New Orleans, Louisiana. SOPHE's Midyear Scientific Conference theme, "All That Jazz: Harmonizing Health Education Practice and Research to Advance Health Equity", draws attention to innovative and new approaches in research and practice within the field of health education and health promotion including cross cutting topics such as health technology, health policy and advocacy, and partnerships and collaboration. This Midyear Scientific Conference will provide a rewarding forum to share scientific discovery, encourage dialogue and exploration among health education professionals. Plenary presentations and oral concurrent sessions as well as poster presentations and workshops will highlight major accomplishments, challenges, innovations and lessons learned within health education and health promotion.
We seek abstracts that address the latest skills and competencies needed by health education and health promotion professionals and students. Abstracts are encouraged that focus on processes or outcomes, researcher or practitioner case studies, and application or lessons learned that promote interactive exchange with the audience. Abstracts are also sought that provide an opportunity for those engaged at all levels and settings of health education and health promotion to share practice and research that relate to the meeting's overall theme or any of the five sub-themes described below.
Healthy Neighborhoods: Where Social Justice, Social Capital and Health Equity Intersect
Mental Health Promotion and the Psychology of Place
Translational Science & Systems Approaches to Health Education and Public Health
Making a Difference: Advocacy and Health Policy
Connections that Work: Collaborations/Partnerships
WHO SHOULD SUBMIT ABSTRACTS?
Health Education & Promotion Specialists
Behavioral Health & Public Health Education Faculty
Health & Patient Educators
Social Marketers
Health Communication Faculty and Consultants
Health Education/Promotion Students
Behavioral/Social Scientists
Informatics Professionals
Ethicists
Tribes and Tribal Organizations
Health/Social Policy Experts Focusing on Health Promotion
Chronic Disese Directors
Community-Based Organizations Staff
Coalition Representatives
Health Administrators
Lay Health Advisors
Nurses
Pharmacists
Dietitians
Social Workers
Epidemiologists
Allied Health Professionals
ABSTRACT SUB-THEME AREAS
Healthy Neighborhoods: Where Social Justice, Social Capital and Health Equity Intersect
Abstracts that highlight the physical, social, political, economic and environmental conditions and variables which affect the health of all neighborhoods. Abstracts which describe programs to address positive and negative factors to improve health are also sought. Papers which describe strategies used to engage the neighborhood in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the program are particularly appropriate. Papers which highlight researcher-practitioner collaboration and community-academia collaborations are particularly encouraged.
Mental Health Promotion and the Psychology of Place
Abstracts are sought that will address novel research, education and training or practice central to enhancing the mental well-being of communities affected by upheaval and displacement. Abstracts are encouraged that examine the links between the psychology of place, community environment, neighborhood, the structure of cities, and physical and mental health and wellness including variations on the meaning and function of place, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, displacement/loss of place. Abstracts that also address the issues of place and its impact on mental wellness, the promotion of mental health and wellness in places where people are barely existing, as well as solidly established urban neighborhoods. Abstracts that describe the effects of international, federal, state or local neighborhood renewal programs on residential communities, and businesses, and the lingering physical health, mental health effects - on individuals, families, cities and regions are also encouraged.
Translational Science & Systems Approaches to Health Education and Public Health:
Abstracts are sought that expand the knowledge base resulting from the application of systems approaches or translational science to health education. Some topical areas within this may include: (1) network analysis or network models and; (2) translation of demonstration programs to best practices; (3) taking programs to scale or translating programs from one setting, organization, or community to another; (4) application of principles of complexity science and its application to health education; (5) ecological approaches and models; and (6) transdisciplinary and translational approaches.
Making a Difference: Advocacy and Health Policy
Abstract submissions are sought that focus on all aspects of advocacy and health policy development, strategy, implementation, initiatives, evaluation and lessons learned. Topics may include facilitating advocacy at the grassroots, health policies to achieve health equity, practitioner and researcher partnerships to achieve health policy goals, resources needed for advocacy and policy implementation, and impact of health policy implementation on equity.
Connections that Work: Collaboration/Partnerships
Abstract submissions are sought that illustrate the successes and lessons learned in community partnerships and collaborations. Abstracts that highlight community involvement in defining the health of the community and include how the program engages the community in the planning and defining of health for their community are particularly appropriate. Programs that include facilitative dialogue and consensus building as part of the process and will increase the capacity of health education researchers to put theory into practice are also encouraged.
