Our Story
The Art and Science of Health Promotion Conference (ASHPC) was founded in 1990 by professor, researcher, and Founder of the American Journal of Health Promotion, Dr. Michael O’Donnell. Its mission was to advance the field of health promotion, and for over thirty years it has made good on this mission by bridging gaps between research and practice and removing silos between professionals and industries.
Bridging gaps between research and practice
- "Research and practice" are the "Art & Science" in our namesake. To bridge the gap between them, ASHPC opens a public Call for Proposals each year that specifically includes submissions for Research Reports and Case Studies. The submission criteria are rigorous and selections are competitive. The result is a balanced agenda where attendees hear from highly-qualified researchers and scientists in one session, and then front-lines practitioners in the next.
Removing silos between professions and industries
- Art & Science of Health Promotion Conference is the industry's only gathering of multidisciplinary health promotion professionals, including everyone from group fitness instructors to chief medical officers. Attendees work at the both the individual and population-levels with about fifty percent of the audience providing services in the workplace. The other fifty percent of attendees work in health care/hospitals, k-12 schools, community organizations, universities, and more. This diverse learning environment opens the doors to innovative solutions and partnerships.
Content at the conference is also informed by the conference theme. Each year’s theme sparks fresh conversations and inspires collaboration that drives meaningful, lasting change.
Past themes include:
- 2023: The Wisdom of Rethinking: Promoting and Practicing Intellectual Humility to Advance Health and Well-Being
- 2024: The Essential Role of Health Promotion in Advancing Health Equity
- 2025: Cultivating Connection, Belonging & the Bottom Line
- And Just Released! The 2026 Conference Theme is: Wired for Well-Being.
Our Audience
Art & Science of Health Promotion conference audience members usually have an academic or professional background in health promotion, health education, public health, or a related industry. As professionals, attendees know that there are no easy solutions to improving the health and well-being of the populations they serve. They aren't here for a quick fix and aren't woo-ed by the all-or-nothing thinking that limits the health and wellness industry broadly. Attendees are an educated, humble, and human-centered gathering of professionals that are ready to dig in and do the work of developing new solutions together.
Our Partnerships
As demand grew for strategic health and wellness education, the conference became part of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans in 2020, and later its affiliate organization, the Wellness Alliance. This new partnership welcomes Art & Science of Health Promotion attendees into a robust professional community with expanded resources to support their work across disciplines and settings. Check out some of our resources:
- Certified Wellness Practitioner (CWP)
- 6 Dimensions of Wellness
- Well Workplace Process
- 7 Benchmarks: a Framework for Well Workplace
- Wellness Promotion Competency Model
- Career Center
- Legal Helpdesk and Research Services
- Hundreds of Resources, toolkits, case studies, expert interviews,
- News and Information
- Well Workplace Award
