Following a two-year period of exceptional leadership and growth, a transition is underway at Pedagogy in Health Promotion as Dr. Heather Henderson caps off her editorial term on December 31, 2026.

SOPHE wants to extend a sincere thank you to Henderson for her service leading the journal. During her tenure as editor, the journal expanded its impact and influence and improved in most academic journal metrics, including article submissions, published articles, PHP citations in outside journals, and obtained its first-ever Impact Factor in 2025.

“This journal and the members of the board are like family to me,” said Henderson, who is Associate Dean for Research, Compliance and Accreditation and faculty in the department of Public Health Sciences at Wichita State University. “And as a family, we have watched the journal’s impact continuously grow. We have watched submissions increase. And we have received encouragement and thanks from authors who were welcomed when the populations they serve became controversial to some. My greatest wish is that the journal continues to function as a family. A family that continuously seeks out ways to support each other and the communities they serve. And there is no better way to grow than through the scholarship of teaching and learning.”

“In her two years as editor of PHP, Heather was able to grow the journal and make an impression in the space of pedagogy in public health promotion,” SOPHE CEO Maricela Arias-Cantu said. “The increase in number of submissions, articles published and global citations is a testament to what a terrific job she did. Additionally, her leadership was invaluable in ushering in our new partnership with Eta Sigma Gamma and the journal.”

Dr. Henderson, who has served PHP either as editor or on the editorial board since 2020, leads strategic initiatives to ensure the quality and integrity of research programs, uphold accreditation standards, support faculty development and enhance educational opportunities for students. 

“Serving on this board for the past seven years, including two as editor-in-chief, has been deeply meaningful work,” said Henderson, who was also inducted to the Alpha Eta Society, the national scholastic honor society for the allied health professions. “In a climate where foundational principles of public health and health promotion face mounting pressure across national and local landscapes, working alongside colleagues who lead with rigorous dedication and genuine humanity has been both grounding and inspiring.”

A Call for Applications is now open for new PHP editor.

“I hope the spaces where we teach continue to generate pedagogical scholarship that equips students, colleagues, and partners to confront and ultimately eliminate the disparities behind poor health outcomes. To me, this motivation is at the core of public health,” Henderson said.

Before Wichita State, Henderson was at West Virginia University (WVU) School of Public Health, where she served as a faculty member in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Leadership and as director of accreditation, planning and evaluation.

Henderson is the former chair of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Data Section and served three terms on the ASPPH Data Advisory Committee beginning in 2018. She also was a member of the inaugural ASPPH Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Task Force.

Her research has focused on psychosocial interventions, including support for the retention of women and minorities in STEM as well as inclusivity initiatives across a range of disciplines in higher education. Recent awards include the WVU Chancellor’s Mentor Award, the Women in Science and Health (WISH) Mid-Career Award, faculty induction into Upsilon Phi Delta, and the Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education’s (FAHE) Ann E. Nolte Writing Award.