WASHINGTON, D. C. – The Society of Public Health Education (SOPHE) is proud to announce that Texas SOPHE (TSOPHE) will be awarded SOPHE Chapter Award of Excellence during the 2025 Annual Conference in Long Beach, April 16-18.
“TSOPHE is very excited to win this award!” said Dr. Shelby Flores-Thorpe, TSOPHE President. “Over the past few years, we have worked to rebuild our network of public health education members and provide them with opportunities to network and continue learning, especially coming out of the pandemic.”
This award recognizes a SOPHE Chapter that has demonstrated creative and effective methods in the delivery of one or more core member services. Chapters are recognized for innovative approaches to membership, fiscal management, leadership, communications and continuing education.
“This award is an honor to win and shows the TSOPHE Board Members’ commitment and efforts to supporting their public health education colleagues,” Dr. Flores-Thorpe added. “It also highlights the resiliency of our TSOPHE community.”
TSOPHE’s mission is to represent health education professionals and students across Texas by fostering a strong public health education community, providing professional development opportunities, and engaging in policy and legislative advocacy. The organization has achieved these goals through its webinar series, monthly newsletters, and biennial conference.
The Chapter Award for Excellence underscores the impact of consistent communication in strengthening public health efforts. “It demonstrates that ongoing engagement and sharing public health opportunities lead to greater support from network and community members,” Dr. Flores-Thorpe noted.
“This award shows the dedication to providing resources, knowledge, and opportunities to our Texas public health community, but has also extended outside of the state,” Dr. Flores-Thorpe said. “Our efforts to rebuild our chapter post-pandemic have expanded beyond TSOPHE’s membership network and beyond Texas itself.”
As a thriving SOPHE chapter, TSOPHE recognizes the value of collaboration. “All SOPHE chapters who are working to engage their members, networks, and community are deserving of this award!” Dr. Flores-Thorpe said. “As public health education members, we are constantly looking to grow, learn, and push the profession forward. We would not be who we are today without the support of other chapters and state community collaborators.”
SOPHE will present all awards and scholarships to public health professionals, health education researchers, faculty, programs, and practitioners at the 2025 SOPHE Annual Conference. These awards and scholarships recognize significant advancements in the profession of health education and health promotion and outstanding contributions of veterans and rising stars to improving the public’s health.
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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.
