WASHINGTON, D. C., – The Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education (FAHE) will present Jody Early with the Dr. Ann E. Nolte Writing Award during the 2025 Annual Conference in Long Beach, April 16-18.  

“Learning our paper won the Ann E. Nolte Award was genuinely surprising and deeply meaningful,” said Early, a professor, researcher, and public health advocate dedicated to advancing health education and equity. “I’m honored to be sharing this award with my co-authors—Drs. Ronica Rooks, Alyssa Robillard, and Lahoma Smith-Romaki—an incredible group of thought-leaders, scholars, and teachers. Our passion and work on this topic brought us together virtually, and to get to work with them was already a reward for me.” 

This faculty and author honorary editorial award recognizes an outstanding written contribution in the field of health education and health promotion that advances the profession and strengthens the connection between scholarship and practice.  

“It affirms our belief that combating mis/disinformation represents one of today’s most critical health education challenges and threats to our global society,” Early noted. “Pedagogy can be a powerful approach in our multi-tiered efforts to build individual and community resilience to propaganda and falsehoods that threaten public trust in science and our democratic values.” 

Dr. Jody Early, a Professor at the University of Washington Bothell, leads the Health Education and Promotion Minor and teaches in the M.S. in Community Health and Social Justice. A research affiliate with the Center for an Informed Public, she focuses on misinformation through policy, technology, and education. As a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES), her work explores systemic factors affecting health equity, applying participatory and digital pedagogies in education and public health. Rooted in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), her research co-creates culturally responsive, community-driven programs. 

Dr. Early is the Principal Investigator and Co-Director of Mental Health Matters of Washington, a grassroots initiative using community-led training to improve mental health. The bilingual program follows a Freirean empowerment model to develop lay mental health navigators. With over 30 years of experience, she has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and two textbooks, including Be the Change: Putting Health Advocacy, Policy, and Community Organization into Practice in Public Health Education (Oxford University Press, 2023). 

“Misinformation is more than just a public health issue—it’s a social determinant that can cause real harm, even deaths,” Early added. “By helping people understand the issue from an ecological framework, increasing their ability to discern and combat misinformation, and advocating for more ethical technologies and platforms, we can slow its spread and build cognitive herd immunity.” 

Early embodies this award through her continued commitment to excellence in writing, teaching, and advocacy. Her work demonstrates the power of words to inspire, educate, and ignite action in the field of health education. 

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About SOPHE 

The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) is a nonprofit association that supports leaders in public health, health education, and promotion to advance healthy and equitable communities across the globe. SOPHE members work in health care settings, communities, organizations, schools, universities, worksites, and in local, state, and federal government agencies. For more information visit www.sophe.org. 

About FAHE 

The Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education (SOPHE) is a nonprofit association whose mission it is to advance the health education profession with a social justice and equity perspective by supporting students, the workforce, and leaders in the field. It does this by cultivating relationships with organizations and stakeholders; fundraising to maximize private support; providing scholarships, fellowships, and awards; advocating for health education as an essential part of public health; and being a prominent force in supporting health education. For more information visit www.fahefoundation.org.