Mission
The Health Improvement Program, more popularly referred to as HIP, began in 1983 at the Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC). The Center was a pioneer in developing effective methods of health education and health promotion, including those for community-wide application. The Center's founder John W. Farquhar, MD noted that these methods could be applied to help the employees of Stanford University improve their health, and with the aid of Stanford's Benefits office, HIP was created. Since then, HIP has provided and expanded these services, primarily to Stanford employees and their families, but also to retirees, and, to a lesser extent, to surrounding communities.
Its purposes are to:
- Develop and test health promotion methods and materials.
- Apply these tested methods to the Stanford community in a cost-effective manner.
- Within the limits of HIP's resources, attempt to be of service to surrounding communities and organizations.
- Aid other health promotion organizations to plan, implement, and evaluate health promotion programs and services.
- Conduct "translational research", in which early research in health promotion is tested and made applicable.
- Collaborate as an advocate and consultant for health policy changes for population-based health improvement programs.
- Serve as advisors to visiting professors and scholars who want to improve their knowledge of population-based health promotion.
