About the Summit
The Global Observatory for Physical Activity – GoPA! and the Global Observatory for Physical Education – GoPE! UTHealth Houston GoPA!–GoPE! Summit: Advancing Physical Activity from Surveillance to Implementation and Policy Impact
The UT GoPA!–GoPE! Summit convenes researchers, policymakers, educators, practitioners, institutional partners, and country representatives from around the world to advance physical activity and physical education through global collaboration.
The Summit features two complementary global initiatives:
The Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) is a global surveillance initiative that monitors and strengthens knowledge on physical activity, including national surveillance, policy, research, and related indicators. Through its global network in 186 countries and national physical activity profiles (Country Cards), GoPA! supports countries in monitoring progress and using evidence to inform action.
The Global Observatory for Physical Education (GoPE!) is a global initiative dedicated to strengthening the surveillance and understanding of physical education and school-based physical activity worldwide. Through its international network in 159 countries and national physical education profiles (Country Cards), GoPE! provides evidence to support research, policy, and action in physical education.
The Summit is supported by the 2025 Global Health Educational Innovations & Research Faculty Award from the Office of Global Health Initiatives at UTHealth Houston. As a host institution, UTHealth Houston contributes expertise in public health, implementation science, health promotion, and population health.
Over two and a half days, the Summit will feature global surveillance, policy and implementation, highlighting lessons from GoPA! and GoPE!, Country Card experiences, and strategies for translating evidence into action. The program will feature country experiences, implementation and scale-up approaches, policy perspectives, and strategic partnerships to inform future research, policy, and practice.
