Accession UAA-2004-045 - UAA-2004-045

The Centre for Health Promotion Studies was founded in 1996 to provide research and graduate studies in community health. The Centre was developed in response to a need for health promotion professionals in Canada. Under Douglas R. Wilson, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, a working group was formed in 1995 to consider a multidisciplinary centre to oversee graduate studies and research in health promotion. No independent degrees in the field existed in Canada at the time. In September 1997 the Centre for Health Promotion Studies began offering a Postgraduate Diploma and a Masters of Science degree program in Health Promotions. The programs responded to changing demands in the healthcare system for professionals trained to focus on community health and well-being.

In 2006, the Centre for Health Promotion Studies was one of three key entities that formed the newly established Faculty of Public Health at the University of Alberta. Interdisciplinary research at the Centre advanced knowledge related to the various factors that affect health status, health behaviour, and health services use. In addition to graduate programs and research, the Centre also participated in community outreach, communication and networking activities to promote community health and policy development.

On July 1, 2017, the Centre for Healthy Communities was established by Dr. Kue Young, the dean of the School of Public Health. It grew out of, and replaced, the Centre for Health Promotion. The Centre for Healthy Communities was formed to be a community-facing unit, with an aim to provide timely research on how to create healthier communities.