Forty years of Health Education and Health Promotion celebrated

Since the inception of Health Education training in 1972, Leeds Met has been at the forefront of teaching in this area, with its provision being influential in developing the modern public health workforce both in the UK and in developing countries.

The University's Centre for Health Promotion Research continues to be a major player in dedicated health promotion research, with current projects including a systematic review of the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of peer interventions in prison and an evaluation of the Department of Health's Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund.

Rachael Dixey, Professor of Health Promotion, said: "Leeds Metropolitan has been put on the map as a centre of excellence, as it has been at the forefront of health promotion for so long. We have made a major contribution to the theory and practice of health promotion, which in turn has had a big impact on people's health. Through our students and our books and papers, those going on to work in health promotion are the people who develop strategies for healthier living: to control HIV, immunise children, prevent obesity, and all those other measures which keep people healthier for longer. We are still thriving, still at the forefront and still have a huge commitment to tackling health inequalities."

The event included presentations from leading health promotion academics Professor Sylvia Tilford, Professor Rachael Dixey and Professor Jane South and was attended by practitioners, commissioners and academics with an interest in the developments in health promotion as well as alumni, friends and former staff of Leeds Met.