NPWH’s roots are firmly planted within the family planning movement. In May 1980, the Metropolitan Executive Director’s Council (MEXDICO) of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America passed a resolution calling for the formation of a national association of family planning nurses. Later in the year, and at the invitation of MEXDICO, a group of nurse practitioners (NPs) from 20 of the larger Planned Parenthood affiliates met in Denver, Colorado, to discuss the formation of a specialty organization focused on family planning and reproductive health. The Denver meeting participants voted to form a new organization called the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Family Planning (NANPFP). NANPFP’s mission was “to assure accessible, quality family planning services and reproductive freedom….”

Fast forward to 2015. After having undergone two name changes, after having fulfilled many of the early visions, and after having accomplished many of the goals set for education and professional development of NPs, NPWH—the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health—is celebrating its 35th anniversary! NPWH has broadened its focus over the years but still remains an organization dedicated to ensuring the provision of quality healthcare to all women by women’s health NPs and other women’s health-focused clinicians.

We will be celebrating this milestone in the life of our organization during the Welcome Reception at our 18th Annual Premier Women’s Healthcare Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 14-17, 2015. Our program guide for this year’s conference is provided for you here in the journal on the following pages. It has always been our mission to bring you the most up-to-date information and the highest quality education.

So, mark your calendar and make arrangements to attend the NPWH conference this year in Salt Lake City. Together, we will raise a glass in celebration of 35 years of this dynamic organization, the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health!

– Gay Johnson
Chief Executive Officer, NPWH