**6. The health education profession and ongoing professional development**

The formation of a health educator's professional identity is not static and should evolve with continued efforts to grow and change as a learner, educator, and leader. In today's world, the health education landscape needs educators to create opportunities for learners to freely exchange ideas to share stories, discipline knowledge, and new learnings [40, 51] Health education across the globe centered on the emergence of learner agency that builds on lived experiences as mechanisms for improving health outcomes can transform learning by creating space for individual and community voice.

Developing functional knowledge needed for the profession and examining the complexities of health behavior and promoting health on an intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and community level are fundamental concepts that health educators must employ. In the US, The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) designated eight responsibilities for health educators and each responsibility has competencies and sub-competencies [65]. The eight areas are a) Area I: Assessment of Needs and Capacity, b) Area II: Planning, c) Area III: Implementation, d) Area IV: Evaluation and Research, e) Area V: Advocacy, f) Area VI: Communication, g) Area VII: Leadership and Management, and h) Area VIII: Ethics and Professionalism. Professionals responsible for implementing health education and health promotion should understand health literacy and its impact on health outcomes. Health literacy is embedded in several of the health education specialists' professional areas of responsibility. The health education and health promotion profession, in the US and globally, strive to provide an impetus for change to promote health-literate individuals and organizations [66].
