Closing, Inagural Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Health Behavior

Elbert D. Glover, PhD, FAAHB  

Remember the high school experiment where one begins with a glass of water filled to the brim and carefully, drop by drop, one drops another drop of water into the glass? One can actually fill the glass above the rim of the glass, holding the water through surface tension. Now drip one more drop and the surface trembles; then the tension breaks, and water flows over the sides of the glass. It was that last drop, indistinguishable from all the others but crucially important to the water in the glass, that made the difference. There are so many people who were crucially important and who made a difference in the development of The Academy and the success of this meeting. I wish to briefly single out a few.

To The Academy Board of Directors, Paul D. Sarvela, Robert J. McDermott and Dennis Thombs, thank you.

Also, a heart felt thank you to:

• the founders who gave The Academy instant credibility.
• Mark Kittleson who provided valuable assistance.
• the speakers who accepted the invitation to participate in the conference.
• Molly Laflin who is responsible for the creation of the medallion.
• Terri Manning who put on a great inaugural meeting and who has agreed to be our Conference Chair for 2002.
• Chudley Werch who hosted several board meetings in Jacksonville and gave unselfishly of his valuable time.
• Randy Black who provided honest feedback and friendship.
• the attendees (N~120) who attended the inaugural meeting of a new organization. To you we are the most indebted for the meeting could not been held without you.
• the sponsors who contributed money and/or services for the conference (GlaxoWellcome, PNG Publications, Department of Applied Health Sciences at Indiana University, Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, Tobacco Research Center-West Virginia University, and the Center for Drug Prevention and Health Promotion-University of North Florida).

Success is a journey and not a destination and this meeting of the American Academy of Health Behavior is just the beginning of the journey of success for The Academy. This conference is the critical step that will evolve into major strides for health education research.

I feel like the dog chasing the truck that finally catches it and is confronted by what to do with the truck. The Academy too is chasing acceptance and success among our peers, so what do we do now? You can contribute to the continued development and success of The Academy, if you're not already a member by becoming one, or if you are already a member by becoming involved in the various committees.

Normally there is a passing of the presidency; however, a long initial presidential term was established to insure stability for The Academy. I have one more year as president then I will be turning over the reins to Dr Chudley Werch, the President-Elect.

My charge to you for the coming year is to spread the message far and wide: "The Academy has arrived, and if you are a researcher and qualify, please join us for we wish to become a force in the future of health education."

The conference concept of The Academy is to:

• Hold meetings in special, unique, out-of-the-way places.
• Start early in the day, hit it hard till 1pm, and leave the afternoons free to network with colleagues.
• Present state-of-the-art information by world experts.

We plan to continue to meet yearly in beautiful places with great programs. It will be very difficult to improve on this program, but we plan to outdo ourselves yearly. So, make plans to join us next year.

Am J Health Behav 2001;25(3):316-317.