About Us
Peers for Progress was founded in 2006 to promote peer support as a key part of health, health care, and prevention around the world. . The mission of Peers for Progress is to accelerate the availability of best practices in peer support around the world. The program is rooted in peer-to-peer interactions in order to sustain individual behavior changes that will improve health as well as quality of life. Peers for Progress is designed to demonstrate the value of peer support, extend the evidence base for such interventions, help establish peer support as an accepted, core component of health care, and promote peer support programs and networks around the world.
To accomplish its goals, Peers for Progress started from addressing the growing, global diabetes epidemic through a variety of activities including Evaluation and Demonstration Grants that will build and apply the evidence base for peer support in diabetes. Other activities include promoting peer support programs, developing an international network among those active in peer support programs, and hosting an international webpage to circulate program materials and curricula.
Peers for Progress is determined to advance and promote peer support programs around the world. We are continually expanding a global network of networks of peer support organizations to address the needs of various chronic diseases, health risks and other conditions that require ongoing health care and sustained behavior change, including but not limited to heart diseases, and mental health challenges and illness.
Here is a brochure for a quick overview of Peers for Progress. To better understand the rationale why Peers for Progress started from addressing the global diabetes epidemic, click here to view key evidence points for Peers for Progress' global initiatives to promote peer support for diabetes and chronic disease management around the world.
Organization
Peers for Progress is a program of the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation supported by the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation and developed in conjunction with the American Academy of Family Physicians. The Peers for Progress Program Development Center is located in the Department of Health Behavior & Health Education of the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Collaborative Partners
The American Association of Diabetes Educators is a key collaborator in Peers for Progress. Other groups associated with Peers for Progress include the Latin American Diabetes Association (ALAD).
Please click on the following links for additional information about Peers for Progress.
- Leadership and Staff
- Executive Committee
- Global Advisory Board
- Organizational Partners
- Collaborative Partners
- Brand Guidelines
Peers for Progress Leadership and Staff
- Edwin Fisher, PhD, Global Director, Peers for Progress
Professor, Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill- Provides overall leadership and strategic guidance to the Peers for Progress program. Works with partners and others active in diabetes to develop key collaborative relationships.
- Kevin Helm, MBA, Assistant Director, Peers for Progress
American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation- Oversees administrative and business aspects of Peers for Progress including business agreements, operations, marketing, public relations, and financial activities.
- Erika Perkins, Program Coordinator, Peers for Progress
American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation- Program coordination including web site administration, grantee coordination, meeting planning, budget tracking and reconciliation, logistics and general business support for Peers for Progress.
- Renée Boothroyd, PhD, MA, MPH, CHES, Director, Peers for Progress Program Development Center (PDC)
Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill- Oversees Program Development Center, including development and dissemination of program and curricula materials, cross-site evaluation activities among grantees, and coordination of input from expert faculty advisors to PDC.
- Maggy Coufal, MPH, MA, Program Manager , Peers for Progress Program Development Center (PDC)
Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill- Assist PDC and Global Directors in network and program development, including networking and knowledge dissemination activity coordination, PDC main contact of the Chinese Network (bilingual in Mandarin Chinese), web site content management, and peer support material compilation.
Peers for Progress Executive Committee
- Craig M. Doane, Chair, Executive Director
American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation - Edwin Fisher, PhD, Global Director, Peers for Progress
Professor, Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Richard G. Roberts, MD, JD, FAAFP, President
American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation - Daniel J. Ostergaard, MD, Vice President Professional Activities
American Academy of Family Physicians - Wilson Pace, MD, Director, National Research Network
American Academy of Family Physicians - Tom Robinett, JD, Ex-Officio, General Counsel
American Academy of Family Physicians - Robert Watchinski, Ex-Officio, Chief Financial Officer
American Academy of Family Physicians - Honorary: Jose F. Caro, MD, Emeritus Chief Scientific Officer
Peers for Progress Global Advisory Board
- Lynne Vaughan, Senior Vice President, Chief Innovative Officer, YMCA of the USA
- Lana Vukovljak, MA, MS, Chief Executive Officer, American Association of Diabetes Educators
- Amparo Gonzalez, RN, BSN, CDE, Immediate Past President, Diabetes Educator Representative, American Association of Diabetes Educators
- Bert van den Bergh, Executive Chairman, Iroko Cardio
- Ronald Aubert, PhD, Vice President, Clinical Analytics and Outcomes Research, Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
Peers for Progress Organizational Partners
About the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation
The AAFP Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of the American Academy of Family Physicians. The Foundation advances the values of family medicine by promoting humanitarian, educational and scientific initiatives that improve the health of all people. For more information about the AAFP Foundation, visit www.aafpfoundation.org.
About the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, Inc.
The Foundation was established in 1968 to carry out the philanthropic interests of the company and its employees. The Foundation is funded from the company’s profits and is a major source of the company’s support for not-for-profit organizations. For more information, please visit http://www.lilly.com/responsibility/foundation/.
About the American Academy of Family Physicians
The American Academy of Family Physicians is one of the largest national medical organizations, representing more than 94,000 family physicians, family medicine residents, and medical students nationwide. Founded in 1947, its mission has been to preserve and promote the science and art of family medicine and to ensure high-quality, cost-effective health care for patients of all ages. For more information about AAFP, visit www.aafp.org.
About the Program Development Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The Peers for Progress Program Development Center is based in the Department of Health Behavior & Health Education at the Gillings School of Global Public Health of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. To learn more about the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the School of Public Health visit, http://www.unc.edu/ and http://www.sph.unc.edu.
The Program Development Center supports development of peer support curricula and training resources through identification of state of the art research and other literatures, coordinates solicitation and review of grant proposals, provides evaluation and other assistance to grantees, directs cross-site program evaluation, promotes peer support through international and other contacts, and collaborates with leadership of Peers for Progress in general program administration.
Program Development Center Staff are assisted by a committee of Faculty Advisors from the University of North Carolina’s Departments of Family Medicine and Internal Medicine in the School of Medicine and the UNC Diabetes Center.
Peers for Progress Faculty Advisors
- Clare L. Barrington, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, Gillings School of Global Public Health
- John B. Buse, MD, PhD, Professor and Chief, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
- Timothy P. Daaleman, DO, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine
- Jo Anne Earp, ScD, Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, Gillings School of Global Public Health
- Eugenia Eng, DrPH, Professor, Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, Gillings School of Global Public Health
- Camille B. Izlar, MS, RD, CDE, Clinical Instructor, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
- Laura A. Linnan, ScD, Associate Professor, Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, Gillings School of Global Public Health
- Deborah F. Tate, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, Gillings School of Global Public Health
- Adam J. Zolotor, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine
Peers for Progress Collaborative Partners
About the American Association of Diabetes Educators
Founded in 1973, the AADE is a multidisciplinary professional membership organization of healthcare professionals dedicated to integrating successful self-management as a key outcome in the care of people with diabetes and related conditions. Its mission is to drive professional practice to promote healthy living through self-management of diabetes and related conditions. For more information about AADE, visit www.diabeteseducator.org.
About the Latin American Diabetes Association
The Latin American Diabetes Association was formed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1970 and has as its function to improve the knowledge of the medical specialists in diabetes and to diffuse the advancements to general medical personnel, clinics, diabetics, relatives and the population in general. http://www.alad-latinoamerica.org/.
If you are interested in partnering with Peers for Progress, please contact us.
Peers for Progress Brand Guidelines
Please click here to view the Peers for Progress Brand Guidelines brochure. After reveiwing the brochure, please contact us to obtain the desired items.
These brand guidelines have been established to ensure that all Peers for Progress collateral and marketing materials are cohesive in tone, style, and overall appearance. Our goal is that these guidelines will promote a strong brand while allowing for some flexibility based on your specific communication needs.
