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'''Halbert L. Dunn''', M.D. (1896-1975) was the leading figure in establishing a national [[vital statistics]] system in the United States and is known as the "father of the [[wellness]] movement". Born in [[New Paris, Ohio]], he attended the [[University of Minnesota]] where he earned his M.D. in 1922 and his Ph.D. in 1923. He served as an assistant in medicine at [[Presbyterian Hospital]] of [[New York City]] 1923-1924 and as fellow in medicine at the [[Mayo Clinic]] in [[Rochester, Minnesota]] (1924-1925).
{{Infobox person
| name = Halbert Dunn
| birth_date = 1897
| birth_place = [[New Paris, Ohio]]
| death_date = 1975
| death_place = [[Silver Springs, Maryland]]
| nationality = Canadian
| occupation = Medical practitioner
}}


'''Halbert L. Dunn''', [[Doctor of Medicine|M.D.]] (1896–1975) was the leading figure in establishing a national [[vital statistics (government records)|vital statistics]] system in the United States and is known as the "father of the [[Wellness (alternative medicine)|wellness]] movement".
In 1929, he was the first [[biostatistics|biostatistician]] hired by the [[Mayo Clinic]] and established its computer coding system for deriving [[medical statistics]]. He was Chief of the National Office of Vital Statistics from 1935 through 1960, first as part of the [[United States Census Bureau|Bureau of the Census]] and later under the [[Department of Health, Education and Welfare]], where it eventually became the [[National Center for Health Statistics]] in 1960. In his final year with the [[U.S. Public Health Service]] he was Assistant Surgeon General for aging.


==Early life==
He was one of the founders of the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) and of the Inter-American Statistics Institute (IASI). He was Secretary General of the IASI from 1941 to 1952. The [[Halbert L. Dunn Award]], named in his honor, has been presented since 1981 by NAPHSIS in recognition of outstanding and lasting contributions to the field of [[vital statistics|vital and health statistics]].
Born in [[New Paris, Ohio]], he attended the [[University of Minnesota]] where he earned his M.D. in 1922 and his Ph.D. in 1923. He served as an assistant in medicine at [[New York-Presbyterian Hospital|Presbyterian Hospital]] of [[New York City]] 1923-1924 and as fellow in medicine at the [[Mayo Clinic]] in [[Rochester, Minnesota]] (1924–1925).


==Work in statistics==
Dr. Dunn introduced the concept of wellness (or [[high level wellness]]) in a series of thirteen lectures he gave at the [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]] Church in [[Arlington County, Virginia]] in the late 1950s. Those lectures provided the basis for his book, ''High Level Wellness'', which was published in 1961. The book was reissued in a number of editions but did not have a great deal of immediate impact. It did, however, come into the hands of a number of the future leaders of wellness and [[holistic health]] movement that bloomed more than a decade later, such as [[Don B. Ardell]], [[Robert Russell]], [[John Travis]], and [[Elizabeth Neilson]].
In 1929, he was the first [[biostatistics|biostatistician]] hired by the [[Mayo Clinic]] and established its coding system for deriving [[medical statistics]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} He was Chief of the National Office of Vital Statistics from 1935 through 1960, first as part of the [[United States Census Bureau|Bureau of the Census]] and later under the [[Department of Health, Education and Welfare]], where it eventually became the [[National Center for Health Statistics]] in 1960. In his final year with the [[U.S. Public Health Service]] he was Assistant Surgeon General for aging.


He was one of the founders of the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) and of the Inter-American Statistics Institute (IASI).{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} He was Secretary General of the IASI from 1941 to 1952. The [[Halbert L. Dunn Award]], named in his honor, has been presented since 1981 by NAPHSIS in recognition of outstanding and lasting contributions to the field of [[vital statistics (government records)|vital and health statistics]].
Three events in 1977 broadened the impact of Dunn's ideas. First, Don Ardell published a book using the Dunn's title and giving Dunn due credit for his origination of the title and concept. Second, Elizabeth Neilson founded the journal ''Health Values: Achieving High Level Wellness'' (renamed the ''American Journal of Health Promotion'' in 1996), which was dedicated to Dunn and reprinted one of his papers in its first edition. Third, the publisher of ''Health Values'', Charles B. Slack, Inc., published a reprint edition of Dunn's ''High Level Wellness'' that achieved a wider distribution and impact.


== References ==
==Wellness==
Dunn is known as the "father" of the wellness movement.<ref name=jstor>{{cite magazine |author=Daniela Blei |url=http://daily.jstor.org/the-false-promises-of-wellness-culture/ |title=The False Promises of Wellness Culture |magazine=JSTOR Daily |publisher=[[JSTOR]] |date=January 4, 2017 }}</ref> He distinguished between good health—not being ill—and what he termed [[high-level wellness]], which he defined as "a condition of change in which the individual moves forward, climbing toward a higher potential of functioning".<ref name=jstor/> He introduced the concept in a series of twenty-nine lectures at the [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]] Church in [[Arlington County, Virginia]] in the late 1950s,{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} which provided the basis for his book, ''High Level Wellness'', published in 1961. The book was reissued in a number of editions but did not have a great deal of immediate impact. It did, however, come into the hands of a number of the future leaders of the wellness and [[holistic health]] movement that bloomed more than a decade later, such as Don B. Ardell, [[Robert Russell (health educator)|Robert Russell]], [[John Travis (physician)|John Travis]], and [[Elizabeth Neilson]].


Four events in the mid-1970s broadened the impact of Dunn's ideas. First, [[John Travis (physician)|John Travis]] opened the first US wellness center (Mill Valley, CA, 1975). This center and other organizations were then described in Don Ardell's 1977 book, using Dunn's title (giving Dunn due credit for his origination of the title and concept). Then Elizabeth Neilson founded the journal ''Health Values: Achieving High-Level Wellness'' (renamed the ''American Journal of Health Promotion'' in 1996), which was dedicated to Dunn and reprinted one of his papers in its first edition. Lastly, the publisher of ''Health Values'', Charles B. Slack, Inc., published a reprint edition of Dunn's ''High-Level Wellness'' that achieved a wider distribution and impact.
* Ardell, D. B. (1976). High Level Wellness: An Alternative to Doctors, Drugs and Disease. Emmaus, PA: Rodale.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Ardell, D. B. (1977). High Level Wellness: An Alternative to Doctors, Drugs and Disease. Emmaus, PA: Rodale.
* Ardell, D. B. (Dec. 29, 2000). A (very) brief history of the wellness concept. Wellness in the Headlines (Don's Report to the World). [http://www.seekwellness.com/wellness/reports/2000-12-29.htm]
* Ardell, D. B. (Dec. 29, 2000). A (very) brief history of the wellness concept. Wellness in the Headlines (Don's Report to the World). [http://www.seekwellness.com/wellness/reports/2000-12-29.htm]
* Dunn, H.L. (1961). High-Level Wellness. Arlington, VA: Beatty Press.
* Dunn, H.L. (1961). High-Level Wellness. Arlington, VA: Beatty Press.
* Dunn, H.L. (1977). High Level Wellness. Thorofare, NJ: Charles, B. Slack.
* Dunn, H.L. (1977). High Level Wellness. Thorofare, NJ: Charles, B. Slack.
* Dunn, H.L. (1977). What High Level Wellness Means. Health Values, 1(1), 9-16.
* Dunn, H.L. (1977). What High Level Wellness Means. Health Values, 1(1), 9–16.
* Neilson, E. A. (1988). Health Values: Achieving high level wellness--Origin, philosophy, purpose. Health Values, 12(3):3-5.
* Neilson, E. A. (1988). Health Values: Achieving high level wellness—Origin, philosophy, purpose. Health Values, 12(3):3-5.
* Rice, S. A. (1967). Conception, gestation and birth of the IASI. The American Statistician, 21(3), 15-19
* Rice, S. A. (1967). Conception, gestation and birth of the IASI. The American Statistician, 21(3), 15-19
* Travis, J. W., and Ryan, R. S. (1981, 1988, 2004) Wellness Workbook, Ten Speed Press/Celestial Arts

{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Halbert L.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Halbert L.}}
[[Category:1896 births]]
[[Category:1896 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Preble County, Ohio]]
[[Category:People from New Paris, Ohio]]
[[Category:American statisticians]]
[[Category:University of Minnesota Medical School alumni]]
[[Category:University of Minnesota alumni]]
[[Category:American bioinformaticians]]
[[Category:Bioinformaticists]]
[[Category:American biostatisticians]]
[[Category:Biostatisticians]]
[[Category:American health educators]]
[[Category:Health educators]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Statistical Association]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Statistical Association]]

Latest revision as of 09:29, 7 April 2024

Halbert Dunn
Born1897
Died1975
NationalityCanadian
OccupationMedical practitioner

Halbert L. Dunn, M.D. (1896–1975) was the leading figure in establishing a national vital statistics system in the United States and is known as the "father of the wellness movement".

Early life

[edit]

Born in New Paris, Ohio, he attended the University of Minnesota where he earned his M.D. in 1922 and his Ph.D. in 1923. He served as an assistant in medicine at Presbyterian Hospital of New York City 1923-1924 and as fellow in medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota (1924–1925).

Work in statistics

[edit]

In 1929, he was the first biostatistician hired by the Mayo Clinic and established its coding system for deriving medical statistics.[citation needed] He was Chief of the National Office of Vital Statistics from 1935 through 1960, first as part of the Bureau of the Census and later under the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, where it eventually became the National Center for Health Statistics in 1960. In his final year with the U.S. Public Health Service he was Assistant Surgeon General for aging.

He was one of the founders of the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) and of the Inter-American Statistics Institute (IASI).[citation needed] He was Secretary General of the IASI from 1941 to 1952. The Halbert L. Dunn Award, named in his honor, has been presented since 1981 by NAPHSIS in recognition of outstanding and lasting contributions to the field of vital and health statistics.

Wellness

[edit]

Dunn is known as the "father" of the wellness movement.[1] He distinguished between good health—not being ill—and what he termed high-level wellness, which he defined as "a condition of change in which the individual moves forward, climbing toward a higher potential of functioning".[1] He introduced the concept in a series of twenty-nine lectures at the Unitarian Church in Arlington County, Virginia in the late 1950s,[citation needed] which provided the basis for his book, High Level Wellness, published in 1961. The book was reissued in a number of editions but did not have a great deal of immediate impact. It did, however, come into the hands of a number of the future leaders of the wellness and holistic health movement that bloomed more than a decade later, such as Don B. Ardell, Robert Russell, John Travis, and Elizabeth Neilson.

Four events in the mid-1970s broadened the impact of Dunn's ideas. First, John Travis opened the first US wellness center (Mill Valley, CA, 1975). This center and other organizations were then described in Don Ardell's 1977 book, using Dunn's title (giving Dunn due credit for his origination of the title and concept). Then Elizabeth Neilson founded the journal Health Values: Achieving High-Level Wellness (renamed the American Journal of Health Promotion in 1996), which was dedicated to Dunn and reprinted one of his papers in its first edition. Lastly, the publisher of Health Values, Charles B. Slack, Inc., published a reprint edition of Dunn's High-Level Wellness that achieved a wider distribution and impact.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Daniela Blei (January 4, 2017). "The False Promises of Wellness Culture". JSTOR Daily. JSTOR.

Sources

[edit]
  • Ardell, D. B. (1977). High Level Wellness: An Alternative to Doctors, Drugs and Disease. Emmaus, PA: Rodale.
  • Ardell, D. B. (Dec. 29, 2000). A (very) brief history of the wellness concept. Wellness in the Headlines (Don's Report to the World). [1]
  • Dunn, H.L. (1961). High-Level Wellness. Arlington, VA: Beatty Press.
  • Dunn, H.L. (1977). High Level Wellness. Thorofare, NJ: Charles, B. Slack.
  • Dunn, H.L. (1977). What High Level Wellness Means. Health Values, 1(1), 9–16.
  • Neilson, E. A. (1988). Health Values: Achieving high level wellness—Origin, philosophy, purpose. Health Values, 12(3):3-5.
  • Rice, S. A. (1967). Conception, gestation and birth of the IASI. The American Statistician, 21(3), 15-19
  • Travis, J. W., and Ryan, R. S. (1981, 1988, 2004) Wellness Workbook, Ten Speed Press/Celestial Arts