|
In
this issue, Inside the Academy profiles Dr James H. Price,
Professor of Health Education/Public Health, and Associate
Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, University of Toledo
(UT). Now in his 21st year at UT, Dr. Price has a rich work
and educational history, earning BS (1966) and MS (1968) degrees
from Indiana State University, and his PhD at Western Michigan
University (1973). His formal education was not completed
until 1977 when he received his MPH from the University of
Oklahoma School of Public Health.
|
|
|
A
native of Terre Haute, Indiana, Dr Price began his post-doctoral
university teaching and research career at the University
of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (1973-76) before becoming Associate Professor
at Kent State University (1977-80). He was appointed Professor
and Chair of the Department of Health Education at the University
of Toledo (1980-84), a position he held again (1996-99) after
the Department changed its name and focus to Health Promotion
and Human Performance. He assumed his current administrative
post at UT in 1999. However, carrying out his administrative
responsibilities at this advanced level has done little to
slow down his research and publication endeavors.
As
an author or coauthor of more than 200 peer-reviewed publications,
Dr Price is well known to most health educators as well as
scholars in numerous other fields. He has been recognized
as one of the most frequently published authors in health
education journals over the decades of the 1980s and 1990s.
His presentations at professional meetings are practically
countless in number. Of particular note is the breadth of
interests and topics upon which his publications are focused
– infectious diseases, tobacco use, school violence, and perceptions
of various school personnel and health practitioners about
school health problems. Some of his most recent work also
has become some of his most important, focusing on ethics
in research and publication, as well as in health education
practice. Dr Price’s ethical scenarios are now discussed far
and wide in university classes at both undergraduate and graduate
levels, and among faculty members and students alike. In his
career, Dr Price has been the recipient of more than 50 grants
– small and large, public and private, local and federal –
an indicator of his attention to serving research needs at
multiple levels, and for a vast variety of audiences.
Dr
Price has been recognized by peers and numerous organizations
for his contributions to the advancement of health education
research and practice. He also has been asked to serve the
profession in a wide array of capacities. He is a member of
the editorial boards for at least six peer-reviewed publications.
Since 1998, he has served as Editor of the American Journal
of Health Education, breaking new ground for the Journal
in its design, format, and sophistication. Besides being a
Fellow and Founding Member of the American Academy of Health
Behavior (1997), Dr Price is also a Fellow of the Society
of Public Health Education (1978) and a Fellow of the American
School Health Association (1979). He is a former recipient
of the Research Council Award (1995) of the American
School Health Association (ASHA), and at the 2000 annual ASHA
conference, was presented with the highly regarded William
A. Howe Award for career achievement and contributions
in school health.
As
Dr Price’s students will attest, he is a taskmaster with high
performance expectations. Nevertheless, a principal strength
is his mentoring ability, especially where research rigor
and publication are concerned. Dr Price is one of the profession’s
premiere examples of taking on the mentor’s role, having personally
overseen at least 35 students through their doctoral educations.
A fair number of these students have gone on to reflect his
careful guidance by distinguishing themselves in the research
and practice arenas.
In
conclusion, Dr. Price has advanced the practice of survey
research and our knowledge of the health behavior and beliefs
of many audiences. It is with great pleasure that we follow
a host of other groups by honoring him Inside the Academy.
Am
J Health Behav 2000;25(6):586
|
