June 2026 Briefs
Out of Office
When you receive this June Briefs, I will be off on a grand adventure. It checks a major item on my bucket list AND allows me to celebrate a friend’s very significant career achievement.
Given that HERO’s work is rooted in the science of human flourishing, it’s only appropriate to mention that this trip checks quite a few evidence-based boxes: rest, adventure, time in nature, relationship investment, and the kind of perspective shift that only comes from being very far from home. Doctors’ orders, essentially.
And let’s not forget gratitude – for the privilege of travel, yes, but also for the capable colleagues who champion HERO’s mission whether I’m in the office or not.
I plan to return refreshed, recharged, and almost certainly with photos of wildlife that made me unreasonably emotional.
Wishing you a healthy, productive, and hopefully joy-filled July, and I hope you have something restorative on your own calendar soon, too. We’ve kept this month’s Briefs intentionally, well, brief, to allow that to happen.
Together,
Karen
Now Accepting Applications: The Dexter Shurney, MD Well-being Fellowship
HERO is proud to announce that the application window is now open for the inaugural Dexter Shurney, MD Well-being Fellowship — a one-year award up to $20,000, supporting research and innovation at the intersection of health equity, lifestyle medicine, and community-centered well-being. The fellowship honors the legacy of Dr. Dexter Shurney, a pioneering voice in workplace health and well-being, and seeks applicants committed to translating meaningful work into real change for underserved and historically marginalized populations.
Applications will be accepted through August 31, 2026. The fellowship recipient will be announced at the HERO CMO Summit on November 8th in Orlando, FL. Learn more and submit your application here.
Member Updates
HERO Events
Summer Think Tank
A virtual, HERO members-only convening
July 15, 2026
Financial Well-being at Work:
Are We Solving the Right Problems?
Think Tank Chair: Jessica Grossmeier, PhD, HERO Senior Fellow – Education
| Register Now |
HERO University Summit
Navigating Institutional Changes. Communicating the value of well-being to leaders.
October 21, 2026 | A virtual convening
Call for Proposals Ends July 6
The HERO University Summit invites higher education leaders, well-being professionals, and researchers to submit proposals for 8‑minute presentations to be featured in one of two interactive panels at the October 20 Summit.
This year’s Summit focuses on strengthening the strategic value and long‑term sustainability of well‑being initiatives in higher education—particularly in times of leadership, organizational, and cultural change.
Selected presenters will deliver a brief, high‑impact presentation followed by facilitated panel discussion designed to maximize shared learning and practical application.
The submission portal will close July 6 at end of day, and notifications will be sent to all who have submitted an entry by August 14.
To submit, please click here.
With support from
SAVE THE DATES
HERO Chief Medical Officer Summit
Lifestyle Medicine as a Strategic Lever for Better Brain Health
November 8, 2026
Orlando, FL
With support from
HERO Fall Think Tank
Is Nature the Missing Ingredient in Your Workforce Well-Being Strategy?
November 9, 2026
Winter Park, FL
HERO Healthcare Summit
November 10, 2026 | Winter Park, FL
HERO Chief Well-Being Officer Summit
December 3, 2026
Clemson, SC
Interested in sponsoring? Take a look at the 2026 Sponsor Prospectus.
Member Updates
HERO Members
The latest issue of American Journal of Health Promotion is now available online to HERO members.
Log in to the HERO Hub and check it out!
HERO Health and Well-Being Best Practices Scorecard in Collaboration with Mercer(c)
HERO Research Fellow Dr. Mary Imboden and Mercer’s Katie Scott have published the latest insights from HERO Scorecard data. They assess measurement practices by organization size and industry type across five years (2021-2025).
Check it out: https://hero-health.org/blog/measurement-practices-across-time-and-by-industry-type-and-organization-size/
HERO RECOMMENDS
Resources and Readings
Recommended Resources
Knowing Well, Being Well – July 2026. Dr. David Katz guest edits this issue with proceedings from the Second Annual Global Health Misinformation Symposium convened by the True Health Initiative. The authors address topics “from media representations of health findings to industry intrusions into policy; from ultra-processed foods to manipulations of dietary guidance; from research methods to AI-enabled detection of information distortions.” Links to all of the articles in the collection are provided below, and the archive of presentations is freely accessible at this link: https://truehealthinitiative.org/2nd-annual-global-health-misinformation-symposium-2025-recording/
- Katz: On Health and Understanding: Signature Threats to Signal in an Age of Noise
- Ruani: Mitigating Misinformation in Health and Nutrition: Assessing Risk, Harm, and Scalable Solutions
- Nestle: Food Politics in an Era of Misinformation
- Dicken: Ultra-Processed Food: Assessing Uncertainty in an Imperfect World
- Lockie: Food Fact-Checks and Trust Scores: Countering Mis-Influencers to Safeguard Nutrition, Public Health, and Our Planet
- Gardner: What Diet Trials Can and Can’t Tell Us – Mitigating Misinformation in Nutrition Science
