Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) is delighted to announce our 15th Anniversary Conference, April 18-21, 2012 in Houston, TX! Mark your calendars now and plan to join us for 4 days of skill-building, networking and agenda-setting!

Whether you are new to community-based participatory research, service-learning or community-academic partnerships and looking for basics to get started, or have been involved for years and are seeking more advanced knowledge, this is one conference you will not want to miss! CCPH conferences create an inclusive space where all are embraced for the knowledge, wisdom and experience they bring to the table.  As one participant this year observed, "This conference was one of the best few days of my life. I am going to capitalize on the amazing connections I made. It was very inspiring and the many workshops were of practical help to my work."

As you know, CCPH promotes health (broadly defined) through partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions. At a grass-roots level, our growing network of over 2,000 communities and campuses are collaborating to promote health through diverse partnership approaches. What ties us together is our commitment to social justice and our passion for the power of partnerships to transform communities and academe.

Our major conference partner is St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities, the area's largest charity focused solely on health and well-being (http://www.slehc.org/). Joining CCPH in celebrating 15 years of advancing community health, the Charities has touched 15 million lives by directly addressing health disparities and strengthening communities through a collaborative, coordinated focus on health. The Charities has awarded grants to health service organizations throughout Southeast Texas. Charities' grantmaking is guided by research and collaboration. This allows communities to be transformed in measurable ways because the changes are initiated and supported by the communities.

Houston is an ideal location for the conference, with its many community-campus partnerships, tourist attractions, and warm and sunny spring climate!  The 4th largest city in the U.S. is increasingly being recognized and valued as a multicultural destination for food, culture and green space. A glowing May 2010 review in the the New York Times observed that "Cool art galleries have sprung up in once blighted neighborhoods. Midcentury modern buildings have been saved and restored. Former factories have been turned into buzzing restaurants...This subtropical city is also surprisingly green...hundreds of parks carpet the city."

The call for proposals will be released in Spring/Summer 2011 with a Fall 2011 deadline.  Stay on top of the latest conference details: visit www.ccph.info to become a facebook fan or follow us on twitter. We welcome inquiries from organizations interested in conference cosponsor, exhibit and joint meeting opportunities.  We can be reached at ccph.info@gmail.com.

And while you have your calendars out...we hope you're already planning to join us for CU Expo Community-University Partnerships: Bringing Global Perspectives to Local Action," May 10-14, 2011 in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. As a major partner, CCPH is fully supporting CU Expo in lieu of our own major conference in 2011. Registration opens in December 2010 and CCPH members can register at a reduced rate.  For more information, visitwww.cuexpo2011.ca

Please help spread the word to friends and colleagues who may be interested. Thank you!

Susan Gust, CCPH Board Chair & Sarena Seifer, CCPH Executive Director