The Society of Public Health Education (SOPHE) is excited to announce that Portland, OR has been selected as the site for the 2026 SOPHE Annual Conference, marking the first time the conference has been in the Pacific Northwest since it was in Portland in 2015.
The 77th SOPHE Annual Conference will be held on April 22-24, 2026, and both themes and tracks will be rolled out over the next few months.
Portland, a national leader in health and wellness space, makes it an ideal site for the conference.
“We are thrilled to be going back to the Pacific Northwest,” SOPHE CEO Dr. William Datema said. “Portland is a vibrant city with incredible culture, natural beauty, and environmental sustainability. It is terrific location to showcase the latest health education and promotion research policy and practice to our conference attendees.”
Portland was selected by the SOPHE Annual Conference Site Selection Committee after considering proposals from 11 venues and 10 cities in different geographical locations (west coast/mountain, Midwest, south/southwest, east coast) – the most recent conferences were in Atlanta, St. Louis, and Long Beach.
The process also involves asking SOPHE members for location preferences followed by analyzing numerous different factors with a given location including hotels, transportation, and costs.
In the future, SOPHE is considering multi-year contracts to reduce costs, promote accessibility to a broader range of participants, expand networking opportunities and community building, and encourage financial sustainability.
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About SOPHE
The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) is a nonprofit association that supports leaders in public health, health education, and promotion to advance healthy and equitable communities across the globe. SOPHE members work in health care settings, communities, organizations, schools, universities, worksites, and in local, state, and federal government agencies. For more information visit www.sophe.org.