Academic Interest Working Group
Lead
Marcus Chilaka - m.chilaka@bradford.ac.uk
Objectives
The academic interest working group is for individuals that are full time or part-time faculty, people that offer workshops, and those doing guest lectures about HiAP, HIA or related topics. We meet twice a semester to share resources and discuss teaching concerns. We will be working to update the HIA curriculum article by Keshia Pollack, et al. The fall 2022 CHIA issue will be a summary of some of the various academic experiences from the group and a student course reflection.
We would love to have more people join our SOPHIA academic interest group. We would like to find out who else is guest lecturing or teaching courses on HIA or HiAP. We meet virtually each semester to share ideas, tools, resources, and syllabus. It is a great way to discuss concerns and find guest speakers. If you are teaching HIA or HiAP one-day, or full semester courses, please send your contact information to Marcus Chilaka to join our group.
Rationale
The field of HIA/HiAP is evolving and SOPHIA recognizes the importance of engaging emerging practitioners in the field. Creating a network of people who teach about HIA/HiAP increases our ability to expand our reach and enhance the information students are exposed to.
History
The SOPHIA Academic Interest Group was started following discussions at the 2021 Practitioner Workshop.
Upcoming events
Teaching for Impact: How to Bring Health and Policy into the Classroom and Academic Settings
Time: 11 am – 12:30 p.m. ET
️Date: August 7, 2025
Location: Zoom virtual meeting – link will be sent with confirmation email
This webinar is co-hosted by SOPHIA and the Kansas Health Institute.
Are you interested in preparing students to tackle real-time, complex challenges by exploring how policies shape health and how environments can support resilient communities? One powerful way to do this is by integrating the Health in All Policies (HiAP) framework and tools such as the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) into academic offerings.
Whether you’re looking to teach a stand-alone course or embed these concepts into existing curricula—in public health, urban planning, policy, environmental studies, social work, education, data science, health care administration or related disciplines—this virtual forum is designed for you.
Join us for a practical and interactive event featuring panel discussions and open remarks from Keshia Pollack Porter, Ph.D., M.P.H., Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, hosted by SOPHIA: The Community of HiAP Professionals and the Kansas Health Institute.
The panel will feature distinguished faculty and nationally recognized experts who have successfully integrated Health in All Policies (HiAP) and the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) into academic settings—through stand-alone courses, embedded curricula and innovative partnerships.
All speakers will share real-world examples and actionable tips to inspire and support a variety of approaches for integrating HiAP into your academic offerings.
This session is ideal for faculty, practitioners, researchers and organizational partners who collaborate with universities and support the integration of Health Impact Assessments and Health in All Policies (HiAP) into academic offerings—whether through guest lectures, joint projects or other experiential learning opportunities.
Questions? Contact: Tatiana Lin, Kansas Health Institute | tlin@khi.org