The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #73246

Eileen M. McDonald, MS, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Center for Injury Research and Policy, Baltimore, MD 21205, Brick Lancaster, MPH, Office on Smoking and Health, CDC, Mail Stop K 50, 4770 Bufor Highway, NE, Atlanta, GA 20341-3724, Lawrence W. Green, DrPH, Public Health Practice Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Mailstop K-56, Atlanta, GA 30341, William Beery, MPH, Kaiser Permanente Community Foundation, 1730 Minor Avenue, Suite 1500, Seattle, WA 98101, Karen Glanz, Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, University of Hawaii, 1960 East-West Road, Biomed C-105, Honolulu, HI 96822, Regina Galer-Unti, PhD, CHES, Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Leisure Studies, Purdue University, 1362 Lambert Building, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1362, and Susan Radius, PhD, CHES, Department of Health Science, Towson University, Burdick Hall, Towson, MD 21252, 410.704.4216, sradius@towson.edu.

Mohan Singh, the legendary philosopher and sage of health education, may no longer be with us but his writings and his disciples live on. The legacy of the Master lives on in his writings, collectively referred to as “The Maxims” where he chronicled his observations of man and his reflections on his profession. Each year, one of his disciples is selected to receive the Mohan Singh Award for Humor sponsored by the Health Education and Health Promotion Section. This session honors the memory of the Master while allowing some of his devotees to take their own "seriously light-hearted look" at health education and health promotion practice today. No topic is too sacred, no person too special, no social institution too sacrosanct to serve as potential fodder for mockery. Join us as we take a humorous look at our profession, our practice, and ourselves. Join us as we ponder the role of humor in health education. Who knows, you just might end up a devotee of the Master yourself.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to:
• 1). Assess the comedic talent (or lack thereof) of health education practitioners and academicians
• 2). Describe at least three funny elements of the session
• 3). Appreciate the importance of laughing at him/herself (and dare I say, yes, at others).

Keywords: Humor, Health Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.