🌟2024 Fall Conference🌟

The purpose of the Chapter shall be consistent with the National Society to promote, encourage, and contribute to the advancement of the health of all people by encouraging study, improving practices, and evaluation standards in the field of public health education.

The Chapter shall implement objectives, special programs, and other activities of the National Society; shall assume leadership in the local provision of in-service training; shall present a professional organization to prospective members, other professional groups, and public and private agencies; shall recommend policies and programs reflected by opinions and interests of the Chapter; and shall strive to provide a medium whereby professionals may share ideas, practices, and knowledge.

My name is Bree Bode and I am serving as the President of GLC-SOPHE in 2023. How did I end up here? I started hanging out with GLC-SOPHE members in 2015 at the annual conference when I was wrapping up my studentship. Being in community with people who speak the same acronyms (you know what they are) as I helped me see how I belong – I fit in- “they just got me, and I got them”! 

Immediately after, I started volunteering for the conference planning committee and then held an e-board position (CO-VP) for several years in a row where I worked with a group of volunteers to plan the annual conference. Being a part of this chapter and noticing the bond the chapter had to National SOPHE enabled me to have some intriguing professional experiences and helped me grow in my practice of public health. Historically, this chapter has been made up of motivated, mindful, and mission focused people. 

While repeating history is not the goal of our chapter this year – I am longing for past, present, and future members to demonstrate how Michiganders for public and community health show up for each other and with each other at our annual conference! I am also longing for different as our field begins to emerge with a renewed or invigorated sense of justice work in public and community health. 

We have three BIG goals for 2023:

1. Foster relationships and a sense of connection among past, present, and future members,

2. Offer more membership benefits based on needs and wants of chapter members, and

3. Engage public and community health professionals purposefully to inspire familiarity and prepare our chapter for doing things differently based on the needs of the profession.

You are invited. You belong here. We want your lived and academic experiences to develop a robust chapter. 

In health, 

Bree Bode

Bree Bode (she/her/hers) PhD, MPH, CHES 

The Great Lakes Chapter of the Society for Public Health Education (GLC-SOPHE) is a volunteer, non-profit professional organization dedicated to promoting healthy behaviors and healthy communities. Our members include workers in health departments, community-based and nonprofit organizations, health plans, schools of public health and other public health programs, tribal health agencies, and many more.

Our chapter was created in 1970 and we continue to provide opportunities for health education professionals to participate in continuing education events, obtain CHES credits, learn about public health advocacy initiatives in the state of Michigan, and network with health education colleagues. 

As part of our strategies, we are dedicated to providing GLC-SOPHE members and Michigan residents with accurate, relatable, and reliable health education information.