SOPHE is excited to announce Dr. Heather Henderson, assistant professor at West Virginia University School of Public Health, as the new editor of Pedagogy in Health Promotion – one of the society’s three peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Henderson, who has served on the journal’s editorial board since 2020 and is also a reviewer for Frontiers in Public Health, is in the Department of Health Policy, Management, and Leadership and Director of Accreditation, Planning, & Evaluation at WVU.
Dr. Henderson hopes to use her experience in journal publishing to grow and expand the journal.
“Just as health promotion and public health are multidisciplinary in their very nature, my goal is to expand our audience among educational researchers and practitioners outside of our current community,” she said. “This expansion will enhance our research and practice by bringing diverse views and expertise that we can apply to the amazing work we already do. Pedagogy and the scholarship of teaching and learning, at their core, are intended to mentor and support students and practitioners. I look forward to our continued guidance and support for the future of health promotion and public health.”
Henderson takes over for the journal’s longtime editor Cheryl Merzel and hopes to build on the foundation Merzel created.
“It has been a privilege to work with Dr. Cheryl Merzel during her time as Editor-in-Chief. My hope is to honor her service by expanding upon the growth that she has already catalyzed for Pedagogy in Health Promotion.”
Henderson has a long list of qualifications in the space, previously serving as Chair of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Data Section and on the ASPPH Data Advisory Committee since 2018. She also was a member of the inaugural ASPPH Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Task Force. She is a master facilitator for the WVU ADVANCE Center, a member of the HSC Faculty Development Advisory Committee, and served as faculty associate for the WVU Teaching and Learning Commons for eight years. Her research has focused on psychosocial interventions, including support for the retention of women and minorities in STEM as well as inclusivity initiatives across a range of disciplines in higher education. Recent awards include the WVU Chancellor’s Mentor Award, the Women in Science and Health (WISH) Mid-Career Award, faculty induction into Upsilon Phi Delta, and the Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education’s (FAHE) Ann E. Nolte Writing Award.Pedagogy in Health Promotion, one of SOPHE’s three peer-reviewed journals, focuses on pedagogy through contributions in areas such as curriculum and course/program design, assessment, and administration relevant to teaching and learning. The content of the journal is especially relevant to instructors or trainers who provide continuing professional education, in the broad arena of health promotion and disease prevention.
