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Glenn E. Richardson
Educational Background:
B.S., Zoology, Southern Utah University
M.S., Exercise Physiology, Utah State University
Ph.D., Health Science, University of Utah
Current Position: Professor & Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Health Promotion and Education, University of Utah
Immediate Past Professional Position: Professor & Chair, Department of Health Promotion and Education, University of Utah
Professional Activities:
- President of the Health Education Association of Utah
- Chair of the Davis County Board of Health (Utah)
- Scientific Committee of the 1st World Congress on Resilience
- Member, Committee on College Health Education and Professional Preparation. American School Health Association
- Reviewer, Health Values, Journal of School Health, and American Journal of Health Education
- Governing Council, The American School Health Association
- Made invited and selected presentations at multiple Professional Health Organizations (i.e. American School Health Association, National Student Assistance Conference, American Society of Allied Health Professions. Society for Public Health Education, American College Health Association, National Wellness Conference, National Big Brothers Big Sisters, National Association for Worksite Health Promotion, Association for Fitness in Business, American Society of Allied Health Professions, American Dietetic Association, & National Conference on Student Services)
AAHE/AAHPERD Professional Activities and Service:
- Chair of the Board of Associate Editors of the American Journal of Health Education
- Member of the AAHE Nominations Committee
- Member of the AAHE Awards Committee
- Chairperson, Health Education Research and Evaluation Section, Texas Association for Health Physical Education and Recreation
- Reviewer for the American Journal of Health Education
- Presented at most AAHE meetings since 1980
Brief Statement
The upcoming years will likely be the most challenging, yet rewarding years in the history of AAHE. Faced with 1) the merger of AAHE and SOPHE, 2) the integrative and positive health evolution, 3) the invasion of other disciplines into the health education job market, and 4) the applied health promotion technological explosion, it is clear that the leadership of the AAHE Board of Directors needs to be open, informed, and progressive.
With the merger of AAHE and SOPHE, it is important that the mission of AAHE not be lost in the negotiations of the unification. At the same time it is important to be open to the insights, expertise, and directions from SOPHE. It will be important during and after the transition to be open to other mergers with other health education professional organizations. As a potential member of the AAHE Board, I currently hold memberships in both organizations and have presented at both AAHE and SOPHE meetings. I am also a member of the American School Health Association.
On college campuses, it is interesting to see departments of communication, physical education, nursing, psychology, and other disciplines doing professional preparation in the areas of health education in the form of health communication, positive psychological health, and wellness coaching. It will be important to stake out our territory politically and build a unique set of skills.
Like a snowball rolling down a hill, the integrative and positive health movement is evidenced by observing increasing numbers of consumers adopting health enhancing behaviors from the Eastern healing arts, indigenous health rituals, and creative western complementary health modalities that promote healthy eating, sleeping, exercising and psychospiritual health. AAHE has cautiously endorsed the integrative health movement with occasional articles and presentations at national meetings but as a board member, I will encourage research and practice in evidenced-based integrative modalities that will help with our professional identity. It is clear that focusing on problems is only marginally effective whereas building strengths, skills, and positive attitudes is more efficacious in helping people adopt healthy behaviors and thrive through adversity. I am currently in the process of implementing an integrative health certificate program at the University of Utah.
It will be important for the AAHE Board of Directors to continue to support health dissemination through technology but also be cautious about multidimensional health effects. At the University of Utah, this has been a topic of hot discussion as we engage in creating an Applied Health Promotion Technology track.
My vision of AAHE is that we will be the leaders in positive and integrative health, high tech interventions for behavior change, and continue the trend toward unification of the health professions. Leadership on the board during the merger with SOPHE is critical in building upon our solid practices but at the same time embracing the ecological health skills that represent SOPHE.