HEI Call for Abstracts Is Now Open!

The Ohio Society for Public Health Education (OSOPHE) invites you to attend its annual conference on October 14-16, 2026, at Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center, 1750 State Park Road #2, Oregon, OH 43616.

Submission Deadline: May 29, 2026

Ohio SOPHE invites you to submit a presentation proposal for this year’s Health Educators' Institute (HEI), From Challenge to Change: Cultivating Resilience in Public Health. The conference will highlight innovative strategies, shared experiences, and practical tools that strengthen resilience at the individual, organizational, and community levels. Attendees will gain inspiration and actionable insights to adapt, lead, and thrive in an ever-evolving public health landscape.

Three types of conference sessions are featured - poster, concurrent, and skill-building - each designed to showcase professional work and foster meaningful engagement among attendees. Together, they contribute to a dynamic and inclusive learning environment that supports the diverse needs and preferences of all participants. 

• Poster sessions are a highly interactive, allowing presenters to engage one-on-one with individuals interested in their topic. We encourage posters in the following categories:
• Program and policy evaluation
• Community engagement and coalition building
• Student work
• Concurrent sessions are lecture-style and typically 15 to 30 minutes in length. Presenters with similar topics may be grouped together to create a thematic session. We encourage concurrent sessions in the following categories:
• Program updates
• Community-based projects or partnerships
• Health communications
• Skill-building sessions are 60 minutes or longer and are designed to allow for in-depth engagement with the content, including hands-on activities. Session objectives should identify at least on specific skill-based outcome. We encourage skill-based sessions in the following categories:
• Practical uses of technology
• Leadership and team development
• Program and policy evaluation

Presentations should align with at least one of the areas of responsibility of a health education specialist, identified by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, and be applicable to a variety of disciplines, including health educators, prevention professionals, social workers, public health nurses, students, and more. Both entry-level and advanced practice continuing education sessions are desired.

PLEASE NOTE: All presenters who plan to attend other conference sessions must register for the conference and are responsible for their conference registration fee, travel, hotel, and per diem expenses.

Proposals can be submitted here.

Download a PDF of the Call for Abstracts, which includes instructions for submitting your proposal.

For additional information or to ask a question, please contact: Marietta Orlowski (marietta.orlowski@wright.edu) and Heather Vilvens (vilvenhl@ucmail.uc.edu).