The Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA) is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Editor-in-Chief (EiC), Adjunct Associate Professor Carmel Williams to Australia’s leading journal for health promotion practice, policy and research, the Health Promotion Journal of Australia (HPJA).
Ms Williams will take the helm from 1 August 2023.
Carmel is a well-known figure in health promotion and public health with 30+ years of experience in the field. AHPA National President Dr Gemma Crawford says she is an outstanding choice, “We warmly welcome Carmel and are excited to have her lead the Health Promotion Journal of Australia into the next phase of its existence,” she said.
“It is a great privilege to be appointed the next Editor in Chief of the Health Promotion Journal of Australia and to be able to continue to grow and strengthen the reach and impact of the Journal. With the myriad of complex challenges facing society, there is an urgent need for timely and reliable knowledge and evidence. Evidence that can drive change and support the health promotion community to advocate, enable and mediate to improve human health, planetary health and equity. The Journal is in a great position thanks to the powerful leadership and guidance of Prof James Smith and the editorial team. Hassan and I will work closely with the editorial team to build upon these strong foundations to ensure the Journal delivers for the health promotion community, locally and globally.” Adjunct Associate Professor Carmel Williams
Associate Professor Hassan Hosseinzadeh with extensive teaching, research and transformational leadership experience from the University of Wollongong will join Carmel as a Deputy Editor, joining existing members of the Editorial Team. Hassan is a well-respected transformational leader, who proudly serves to enhance the motivation, morale, and job performance of team members through inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration.
“I envisage the Health Promotion Journal of Australia to be a collaborative endeavour aiming at driving forward research in the field of health promotion by providing high-quality peer-reviewed research papers for academics, researchers, policy decision-makers and health practitioners. Under my leadership, the HPJA will be the flagship publication of health promotion on the world stage. The Journal will also bridge the higher education gap in health promotion by delivering content solutions in innovative ways to enrich health promotion learning and teaching practice.”
Associate Professor Hassan Hosseinzadeh
Carmel and Hassan will take over duties from AHPA Fellow, Professor James Smith who has announced his retirement as EiC after more than five years in the role.
AHPA recognises the valuable and significant contributions of Professor Smith and sincerely thanks him for his service.
Prof Smith has had a long association with both the HPJA and AHPA, holding roles as Branch President in both SA and NT, and nationally as a Board Director (2006-2014), Vice President (2009-2013), and Chair of the Research, Evaluation and Evidence Translation Committee. Prof Smith commenced his tenure with the HPJA as an Editorial Advisory Board Member from 2011–2015 followed by appointment as an Associate Editor and as EiC in November 2017. As EiC Prof Smith has overseen the addition of a fourth journal issue each year, the expansion of virtual issues and special issues on topical areas of interest to the health promotion community, the expansion of the Editorial Team, a year-on-year increase in impact factor (to 2.033) and importantly a marked increase in Indigenous health promotion scholarship, with a parallel increase in Indigenous authorship and Indigenous reviewer and editorial participation. He implemented a strong vision for the Journal towards enhancing contributions that address social and ecological determinants of health and/or issues relating to the promotion of health equity.
“It has been a pleasure leading the growth of the Health Promotion Journal of Australia over the past five years, and I thank AHPA for trusting me with this responsibility. The journal's success has reflected a collective effort, with a hard-working Editorial Team from across all states and territories of Australia and New Zealand, and builds on the dedication of my predecessors. I'm confident the Journal will continue to flourish under the stewardship of Carmel, Hassan and the rest of the Editorial Team."
Professor James Smith
Prof Smith has commenced his handover with the incoming EiC, and we thank him for his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition during this period. He will formally step down from the role in August 2023 and the Association looks forward to celebrating his contributions in upcoming events. AHPA is grateful to James for his steady leadership of the HPJA as a credible and respected contributor to the public health evidence base.
“We welcome Professor Smith’s continued engagement with the Journal and Association - as a friend, member, mentor and Fellow. We wish him all the very best for the future.” Gemma Crawford, AHPA President
Health promotion’s role has never been so significant. and under Carmel and Hassan’s leadership together with stewardship from existing members of the Editorial Team and Editorial Advisory Board, we look forward to the Journal continuing to evolve.
Download the full Media Statement with background information here.