ISPAH Welcomes New President-Elect Deborah Salvo: Charting a Course for Global Physical Activity and Health
We are excited to announce that Dr. Deborah Salvo has been elected as the new President-Elect of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH). Dr. Salvo, an Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, will begin her term at the conclusion of the ISPAH 2024 Congress in Paris, serving from 2024 to 2026.
Dr. Salvo brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to ISPAH’s leadership. Her vision for the organization aligns closely with ISPAH’s mission to advance physical activity as a global health priority through excellence in research, practice, policy, and advocacy.
Key Priorities for ISPAH’s Future
Dr. Salvo has outlined several strategic goals for her presidency:
1. Prioritizing the Global South:
Being from a middle-income country herself (Mexico), with substantial first-hand experience studying and promoting physical activity in the Global South, Dr. Salvo aims for ISPAH to more explicitly support, engage, expand to, and learn from the Global South. This initiative will broaden ISPAH’s reach and ensure that our efforts in promoting physical activity and health are truly global in scope. Dr. Salvo plans to leverage her multiple collaborative networks in Latin America to develop a model for representation, co-learning, and capacity building that can then be used to maximize ISPAH’s representation and impact across other regions of the Global South.
2. Recommitting to Scientific Excellence:
Under Dr. Salvo’s leadership, ISPAH will reinforce its commitment to supporting the dissemination of outstanding physical activity and public health research from across the globe. This focus on scientific emphasis as an essential tenet of ISPAH will strengthen our position as effective advocates for an active world.
3. Enhancing ISPAH’s Activities and Impact:
A key goal is to improve the visibility, impact, volume, and quality of ISPAH’s work beyond the biennial congress. While the ISPAH Congress remains a cornerstone event, Dr. Salvo plans to diversify ISPAH’s activities and touchpoints throughout the year, creating more opportunities for member engagement and impact. This will involve expanding our year-round activities and purposeful engagement with the global health community.
4. Advancing Physical Activity and Global Health Equity Through Meaningful Partnerships:
Dr. Salvo plans to strengthen and expand partnerships with leading academic and advocacy-oriented international organizations to further establish ISPAH as a leading voice in the promotion of physical activity for global health improvement. Dr. Salvo plans to prioritize partnerships that can enhance access to knowledge and opportunities for all, and that explicitly support the advancement of global health equity through ethical, contextually-sensitive physical activity research and promotion.
The Future of Physical Activity and Health
As we look forward to formally welcoming Dr. Salvo at the conclusion of the ISPAH 2024 Congress in Paris, we anticipate a period of growth and innovation for our society. Her leadership promises to strengthen ISPAH’s role in advancing physical activity as a crucial component of global health and health equity strategies.
ISPAH members and the wider physical activity and health community can expect increased opportunities for collaboration, especially with partners in the Global South, enhanced emphasis on the dissemination of high-quality physical activity and public health science, and a more visible presence of ISPAH in global health research and promotion discussions.
We invite all those interested in physical activity and health science, practice, policy, and advocacy to join us in supporting Dr. Salvo’s vision for ISPAH. Together, we can work towards a more active and healthier world.
Stay tuned for updates on ISPAH’s initiatives and opportunities to get involved. For more information about ISPAH and our work in physical activity and health, visit our website and follow us on social media.
