Recent Movement on the development of competencies forhealth educators and health promoters: Galway Consensus
Conference and MCHES in U.S.
Keiko Sakagami, EdD, RDH, MCHES

010

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Vice President of Advocacy for IUHPE/North American Regional Office (NARO)
United Nation Representative for IUHPE/NARO
Significant efforts have recently been
consultation process that focused on themade to train health education and healthpositive
development,
addingpromotion professions in the world,
communications and knowledge domains,
especially in North America, Europe, andemphasis of reducing inequity, andAustralia. But in the past years, there wererelationship to other frameworks in healthno discussions or share about training
education and public health, has been
programs, accreditation process andimplemented.
responsibilities and competencies of these
professions in the world. The North
Table 1
American Region (NARO) of International
Eight Domains of Competencies on Health
Union for Health Education and Promotion
Education and Promotion(IUHPE) advocated to exchange the
1. Catalyzing change 5. Implementation
development process and international
2. Leadership
6. Evaluation
collaboration to identify domains of core
3. Assessment
7. Advocacy
competency in health education in 2004 at
4. Planning
8. Partnerships
Melbourne, Australia and 2007 atSource:
TheGalway
Consensus
Conference Statement:
Vancouver, Canada. In 2008, the key
TowardDomainsofCore
Competency
for Building Global
persons and stakeholders from North
Capacity in Health promotion. June 18th, 2008 (5)AmericaandEuropean
countries
conducted the first meeting at Galway,
Another new movement in US is that
Ireland, to promote the global exchange
the policy statement of advanced-level ofandunderstanding
concerningcore
certification for Master Certified Healthcompetencies and accreditation in theEducation Specialist (MCHES) was passed
professional
preparationofhealthin 2009. The National Commission for
promotionandhealtheducation
health Education Credentialing, Inc.
professionals. In the Galway Consensus(NCHEC) has provided competencies forConference, the participants considered theboth basic (CHES) and advanced (MCHES)
issues and optimal mechanisms forlevels of health education specialists.
developing
individualandThe discussion on the eight domains
institutional-based credentialing acrossof core competencies and introduction ofcountries and continents. The development
the MCHES, a role model of this profession
and implementation of credentialing
in the world, will be focused on thesystems for health educators were alsoroundtable.
addressed from different countries. The
eight domains of core competencies on* Participants in this roundtable can behealth education and promotion are shown
health educators, health promoters, andon Table1.
other health professionals who implement
There were no Asian participants at
health education programs or teach health
Galway Consensus Conference except theeducation. However, all meeting attendees
author. As a consensus process, this topic
who are interested in this topic areshould be discussed in Asian countries,welcome to join the discussion.
and the leaders among Asian countries(連絡先) Keiko Sakagami, EdD, RDH, MCHES
should be included in future discussions ofEmail: Keiko810@cybercap.com
this topic in the world. Currently a global