MICHAEL P. O'DONNELL, AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH PROMOTION, RECEIVES ELIZABETH FRIES HEALTH EDUCATION AWARD
Recognized for improving the practice and science of health promotion in shaping U.S. national health policy, and accelerating international growth of health promotion concepts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 21, 2011
WASHINGTON - Michael P. O'Donnell, MPH, MBA, PhD, editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Health Promotion, received the Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award from the James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation at the recent annual meeting of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE).
The award recognized O'Donnell for improving the practice and science of health promotion, integrating health promotion into U.S. national policy, and accelerating international growth of health promotion concepts. O'Donnell has made significant contributions to health promotion including:
- Co-authoring the first comprehensive textbook on workplace health promotion, Health Promotion in the Workplace, published in 1984. The text has been revised periodically and been in continuous publications for 27 years.
- In 1986, he founded the American Journal of Health Promotion. O'Donnell serves as the editor-in-chief of the journal and has expanded its distribution to subscribers in 35 nations.
- In 2004, he founded Health Promotion Advocates, a non-profit policy group committed to integrating health promotion concepts into national policy. With some 2,400 grassroots advocates, Health Promotion Advocates has worked with members of Congress to build bipartisan support and to integrate health promotion concepts into the Affordable Care Act. One concept, the National Prevention Strategy, engages all parts of the federal government in making the healthy choice the easiest choice for all Americans.
O'Donnell's address at SOPHE's 62nd Annual Meeting chronicled his journey as an advocate in crafting the legislation that resulted in the creation of the National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council and the preparation of the National Prevention Strategy released by the Surgeon General this summer. He told attendees that they can be effective in changing policies to improve the health of all Americans, if they become engaged in SOPHE advocacy efforts.
About the AwardThe Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award is presented to a health educator who has made a substantial contribution to advancing the field of health education or health promotion through research, program development or program delivery. The award is named for Elizabeth Ann Fries, PhD, a professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and co-director of the Cancer Outreach Program who died in 2005.
The $25,000 award is presented by The James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation, a nonprofit corporation incorporated in 1991. The Foundation seeks to identify and honor individuals, organizations, or institutions which have made great contributions to the health of the public. The foundation also awards the Fries Prize for Improving Health.
Among the previous winners of the Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award are Lawrence W. Green, DrPH, developer of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model of health program planning and evaluation; James O. Prochaska, PhD, developer of the transtheoretical model of behavior change; and John Seffrin, PhD, CEO of the American Cancer Society. For more information go to www.friesfoundation.org.
About SOPHE's Annual MeetingHeld October 28-29, 2011 in Arlington, Va., SOPHE's annual meeting equipped our nation's public health professionals to help Americans live healthier lives. Topics discussed included obesity prevention, environmental health, community intervention to decrease high risk behavior, chronic disease prevention, LGBT health, adolescent health, smoking cessation and diabetes prevention and management. For more information about webcasts from the meeting or SOPHE, see www.sophe.org.
About SOPHE
The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) is a non-profit professional organization founded in 1950 to provide global leadership to the profession of health education and health promotion and to promote the health of society. SOPHE's 4,000 national, international and chapter members work in various public and private organizations to advance health education theory and research, develop disease prevention and health promotion programs, and promote public policies conducive to health. For more information, go to www.sophe.org.
Media Contact: Ami Neiberger-Miller, 703.887.4877, news@sophe.org
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