SOPHE-AAHE Move Forward in Merger Discussions

Immediate Release       Contact: Elaine Auld (eauld@sophe.org)
October 25, 2011                 Linda Moore (lmoore@aahperd.org)

Release of Joint Statement

Washington, DC --Since December 2008, AAHE and SOPHE leaders have been discussing how to work more collaboratively to create a stronger voice for the health education profession, including the potential for organizational re-alignment.

Since this time, AAHE, with input from the AAHE membership and the unanimous support of the Board of Directors, has been working to obtain permission to disengage from its parent organization, the American Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD).  SOPHE launched a task force to study the issue and on November 4, 2010, voted to develop a plan for a possible modified merger with AAHE.

SOPHE and AAHE leaders met on July 29-30, 2011, in College Park, Maryland, to work on the major architecture of the potential new organizational alignment.They also addressed a process for determining how AAHE and SOPHE assets such as journals, newsletters, awards, and meetings could be aligned.Aspects of this plan were presented to the AAHPERD Board of Governors on September 23-24, 2011, which unanimously approved the proposal.

Further details on AAHE’s status, as well as the recent decision to unify AAHPERD into one association, will be shared at the AAHPERD 2012 Annual Meeting on March 17, 2012, in Boston.At that time, the Alliance Assembly will be asked to support the reorganization plans and the decisions made by the Board of Governors.It is expected there will be a transition period between that meeting and ending no later than May 1, 2013.

In the interim, SOPHE and AAHE leaders continue to meet to address an AAHE-SOPHE merger that will provide a stronger voice and leadership for the health education profession.The merged organization will look forward to continuing the strong affiliations with the Coalition of National Health Education Organizations and other school, education, and public health partners.

####


Founded in 1950, the mission of SOPHE is to provide global leadership to the profession of health education and health promotion and to promote the health of society.For more information, www.sophe.org

The mission of AAHE is to advance the profession by serving health educators and others who strive to promote the health of all people through education and other systematic strategies. For more information, see http://www.aahperd.org/aahe/