The Institute for Public Health and Water Research (IPWR) is a not-for-profit organization that supports individual and community health through scientific and educational strategies designed to improve access to quality drinking water worldwide. The Institute was established to address the following issues through scientific discovery, outreach and public health education:
- Foster the development of compelling and evidenced-based knowledge in water and health by supporting the research activities of existing and emerging scholars.
- Translate and disseminate findings into public education and awareness of the value of water to human health worldwide.
- Gain support and provide leadership for the development of standards and guidelines about water consumption that demonstrate the need for inclusion of water as a nutrient on the USDA Food Pyramid.
- Discover best practices for interventions used to address delivery, quality, safety, management, storage and the utility of potable water worldwide.
- Increase awareness of the global health, social, educational and policy implications of children’s involvement in water-related issues.
- Promote consideration among stakeholders of the linkages between gender, socio-economic status, economics, geographic, age and cultural factors in the acquisition and utility of water for families worldwide.
IPWR promotes research, education and outreach to ensure equitable access to safe water worldwide. Its work focuses on factors associated with quantity, gender, best practices and sustainability.
IPWR achieves its mission by:
- Fostering growth of young scholars interested in understanding the health effects of water and its linkage to improving health outcomes worldwide through research funding and technical training.
- Promoting evidenced-based knowledge and interventions through multimedia and electronic channels to demonstrate the importance of water consumption in inhibiting disease onset through partnerships and collaborations with diverse stakeholders.
- Convening national and international meetings of thought leaders interested in water and health issues to foster sustainable solutions targeting culturally relevant practices related to quality, quantity, and access to water issues in developing countries.
Translating and disseminating findings independently and with partners and collaborators to educate and inform both technical and non-technical audiences to promote the nutritional and disease prevention value of water consumption.
IPWR is committed to a world where water consumption promotes improved health outcomes, and waterborne illness and disease do not harm or threaten the lifespan of children and families.
IPWR carries out its Mission guided by the following Values and Principles:
- IPWR seeks to make a difference in improving human health through quality water consumption worldwide.
- IPWR seeks to work with those organizations and individuals who are working to provide adequate and sustainable access to quality drinking water.
- IPWR is committed to translating its sponsored research into practical applications.
IPWR pledges to work with ethical organizations and institutions that demonstrate a commitment to transparency and diversity in policy and practice.
Over the next five years, IPWR will focus on two key areas: 1) Research and Science and 2) Education and Outreach.
Education and Outreach:
- IPWR will translate findings from its sponsored research program to produce evidence-based health promotion and educational content for diverse audiences including school-aged children.
- Proceedings from all IPWR-sponsored meetings will be published in peer-reviewed journals to promote ongoing scientific inquiry into relevant water and health issues.
- IPWR will develop and launch the "IPWR Summer Institute" to provide technical training and professional development for emerging scholars in water and health.
- IPWR will produce an online newsletter and a resource library aimed at increasing parents' and children's knowledge on the history and value of water to health.
- IPWR will participate in relevant symposia and stakeholder activities to build and demonstrate its capabilities as an opinion leader and provider of evidence-based knowledge on the issues related to water consumption’s impact on health outcomes in developed and developing countries.
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Operating Framework: Towards a Sustainable Model of Water and Public Health
IPWR's Operating Framework, guided by its Mission, graphically addresses the interplay of the relevant issues targeted within the research, science, education, and outreach activities of IPWR. Of key significance is IPWR's recognition of the intersection of quantity, quality, and access to water, and that these factors are impacted often by the geographic region to be addressed. To that end, IPWR is committed to delineating sustainable best practices among responsive interventions to address these issues, and urging consideration of the impact of gender and behavioral, cultural and social practices in both scientific investigations, intervention development and implementation practices.
IPWR is led by an Executive Board of Directors (EB) responsible
for strategic and financial oversight. Members of this board
are recognized as senior scientific, corporate, and public service
leaders nationally and internationally. A Health and Scientific
Advisory Board (HSAB) provides a variety of scientific and technical
advisory services for the IPWR. The HSAB reviews and recommends
to the EB grant applications for funding by IPWR, reviews the scientific
progress of each award and the science activities of IPWR annually,
and makes recommendations to the EB for program and scientific
activities for IPWR. Details on each member maybe found on the
IPWR website at www.ipwr.org.
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IPWR generates support for its Mission through individual and corporate donations, foundation grants, partnerships, collaborations, memberships and workplace giving strategies. With your support, the quality of lives for children and their families can be improved worldwide:
- In developed countries, we will develop, publish and drive the adoption of evidence-based guidelines and standards supporting and encouraging water consumption to improve health status. Additionally, health care providers, educators, and policy makers will be equipped to deliver effective strategies to reduce the risk of diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
In developing countries, access to safe potable sources of water
decreases the likelihood of water-associated disease burden for
families. Decreased water acquisition by females also may
decrease risks of musculoskeletal impairment among these communities.
Decreased time spent in water acquisition may represent increased
opportunities for participation in education, social activities,
and among women, involvement in economic and policy setting discussions
may become possible.
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IPWR Framework for Partnerships
IPWR seeks affiliations with organizations whose vision, mission,
goals and objectives are complementary. IPWR's guiding
principles set a clear standard to guide partnership selection.
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