ARHP History Intro | Birth of the Organization (1963 to 1972)
The Early Years (1972 to 1981) | Evolution (1981 to 1990)
Expansion (1990 to 1998) | The Next Generation (1988 onward)

Established as a leader in reproductive health education, ARHP today is in a healthy financial position, enjoys a reputation as a credible source of reproductive health education for clinicians, and is considered a useful resource by individuals, organizations, the media, and industry. ARHP has excellent potential for future growth, positioned as a bridge between clinicians, government agencies, NGOs, and industry, and with a core clinical constituency that is multidisciplinary, providing a broad and unique audience for reproductive health programs.

In February 1998, the ARHP board of directors appointed Wayne Shields to the position of president. Shields inherited a strong organization with almost 2,000 members, an annual Reproductive Health meeting and two alternating biennial meetings, Perimenopause and Adolescent Reproductive Health. The Health Benefits of Contraception public and professional education campaign had been launched, including a successful CME visiting faculty lecture program. And another new program had been initiated, Treatment Partners: Patient and Provider Forums on New Treatments and Clinical Management Options for HIV/AIDS, a clinician and patient education program co-sponsored by the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC).

Following ARHP's first "generation" of growth, Shields and the board plan to help the organization meet new challenges during its next phase. Among these were to expand the types of programs offered by ARHP; help raise awareness about ARHP among clinicians, the media, legislators, and others; encourage collaborative efforts with other organizations; and to position ARHP as a significant source of information and education for clinicians and the public; among others.

In the fall of 1998, ARHP launched a new public and professional education campaign to encourage successful contraception, Today and Every Day: Contraceptive Confidence. This program grew out of an ARHP consensus meeting on contraceptive compliance and was shaped by a comparison of two nationwide ARHP surveys on knowledge and attitudes about contraception; one polled patients and the other physicians. While complementing ARHP's Health Benefits of Contraception Program, Today and Every Day: Contraceptive Confidence maintains a strong focus on achieving successful contraception and provides a set of adhesive reminders for women who take the pill.

In addition to these ARHP CME meetings and programs, the adolescent reproductive history form developed by NARHP was evaluated with a grant from the Office of Population Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services. New issues of Health & Sexuality and Clinical Proceedings have been published on the topics of successful contraception and treatment strategies for HIV in women, and other major ARHP publications have been reprinted--Perimenopause: Pathways to Change, and English and Spanish versions of the brochures Better Choices Better Health and Choosing a Birth Control Method.

Three new issues of Clinical Proceedings are in various stages of development and production. Topics include new developments in contraception, an expanded issue on health benefits of contraception, and a special issue reporting the results of a consensus conference of experts on appropriate contraceptive choice and usage. And an issue of Health & Sexuality is planned on pregnancy prediction methods.

During a summer 1998 retreat, ARHP board and staff addressed many issues, the first of which was to re-evaluate ARHP's mission statement to reflect changing focus and expanding horizons. Approved by the ARHP board, it succinctly reads as follows:

The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP) is an interdisciplinary association composed of professionals who provide reproductive health services or education, conduct reproductive health research, or influence reproductive health policy. ARHP, founded in 1963, has a mission to educate health care professionals, public policy makers, and the public. The organization fosters research and advocacy to promote reproductive health.

Shields has launched a long-term educational initiative, the Fund for the Future of Reproductive Health. The goal of the Fund is to provide seed money with which to develop the innovative projects and programs outlined in the white paper. The Fund will be guided by recommendations from an independent panel of ARHP members, who will be charged with identifying projects that foster collaborative efforts among nonprofit reproductive health organizations.

Raising and maintaining support from new and diverse sources will be a prime focus of ARHP in its new generation. In October 1998, the Association was awarded it's first major foundation grant--$500,000 from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation--to develop, launch and evaluate a national train-the-trainer program on emergency contraception. Led by board member Dr. James Trussell, ARHP's main partners in this venture include Planned Parenthood and the Reproductive Health Technologies Project.

In addition to charting new educational courses, creating new partnerships, and making new "friends," ARHP President Shields has plans to cross borders. Guided by the ARHP board, Shields will attempt to fulfill the early promise of the Association by beginning the process of shaping it into a truly international organization.

ARHP accepts the charge to help create a world in which reproductive health is the norm and not the exception. To achieve this, ARHP is committed to three main goals. The first is to normalize conversation about sexuality in order to reach a world where all people have the information, knowledge, understanding, and freedom to make appropriate and responsible decisions about sexual activity, family planning, and overall sexual health. The second is to advocate for reproductive health research, education, and access, including ample funding for research, abundant educational programs and resources to encourage the next generation of reproductive health educators, respect and recognition in Congress, and universal access to critical health services. Finally, ARHP is committed to looking beyond traditional parameters and seek new possibilities, to be inclusive and sensitive to the reality that reproductive health touches all stages of life, all cultures, and all belief systems.

The future holds vast promise, and recognizing that reproductive health is essential for full and satisfying life, the potential for achievement for ARHP, through its board of directors, staff and members, can not be underestimated.