We all know what it’s like at conferences, with the usual suspects: keynotes, presentations, vendors, fresh ideas, rehash, and buffet breakfasts. So what’s new here? What’s the big idea that makes this conference not just more of the same?
It’s been 40 years since the release of Healthy People: The Surgeon General’s Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. And as Michael O’Donnell (CEO of the Art and Science of Health Promotion Conference) pointed out, health promotion has really evolved over the succeeding four decades.
I spoke with Dr. O’Donnell about this, and he told me that the growth in our field may have been 
developing over a long period of time, but it has dramatically increased over the past decade. And given how quickly new wellness products and ideas have developed, the Big Idea of this conference is about how to thread them together. It’s about synthesis.
So the first Big Idea of the conference is the theme itself. That is, upstart wellness programs are fine, but we also need to consider how we can knit them together, and consolidate them in a way that can more effectively serve our groups.
I think it’s natural that any period of rapid growth must be followed by sober self-assessment. What works, what doesn’t, and how can the parts all fit together. In this sense, this week is already lining up to be thoughtful and productive. Stay tuned for more …
