HPC & HPO responds to concerns about health promotion and professionalization

Thierry Gagné, Josée Lapalme, and Janette Leroux recently teamed up to respond to a recent letter to the editor (Graham, 2017) in the Journal Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice (HPCDPC). In their response, they addressed the main concern that the development of national competencies for Canadian health promoters may lead to a narrowed “professionalization” of health promotion, and thereby undermine its potential to contribute to directing future public health research, policy, and practice.

HPC and HPO responded by highlighting the often-precarious nature of health promotion practice, and underscored the importance of professional networks and activities in the sustainability and diversity of health promotion as a discourse and field. Thierry and Josée are PhD candidates in Health Promotion at the University of Montreal, and serve as chapter chairs for the Quebec Chapter of Health Promotion Canada. Janette is a PhD candidate in Health Studies at Queen’s University, and serves on the executive of Health Promotion Ontario.

Check out the response here and let us know what you think.