The “Best of 2026 List” of Health Promotion Researchers

Each year the editorial team of the American Journal of Health Promotion selects our “Best of the Year List” of health promotion studies from the prior year. This editorial features the Editor’s Picks Awards , the Editor in Chief Awards , the Michael P. O’Donnell Award and the Dorothy Nyswander Award for the best research and writing published in 2026 in this journal. Our criteria for selection includes: whether the study addresses a topic of timely importance in health promotion, the research question is clearly stated and the study methods used are well executed; whether the paper is often cited and downloaded; if the study findings offer a unique contribution to the literature; and if the paper is well-written and enjoyable to read. Awardees in 2026 brought our journal’s readers timely perspectives on the role of artificial intelligence in addressing mental health, the role of public policy in supporting caregivers, the pernicious effects of misinformation on our views of research findings and the wonderful contributions story-telling can make in effective health education. This “best of 2026 list” featured studies based in low-income neighborhoods, healthcare delivery systems, workplaces and mental health agencies and includes case studies and qualitative and quantitative research methods that enabled researchers to better explain what helps or hinders well-being.