The Cardiovascular Health Practitioner's Institute is a 5 ½ day training program for professionals from State Health Departments and the American Heart Association. The goal is to enhance these professionals abilities to coordinate, develop, and evaluate public health programs that address cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and control, the reduction of related risk factors and the promotion of cardiovascular health. The sponsors of the program are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Association of State and Territorial Chronic Disease Program Directors, the American Heart Association National Center, and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Two fellows from each state will be represented by one manager-level member from the State Health Department and one program-manager from the AHA affiliate will partner to implement CVD programs in the state. Public health workers from selected countries outside the U.S. will also participate. The program will improve these fellows' knowledge, attitudes, and skills in key health promotion activities: partnership building and maintenance, creating a vision, communication and social marketing, advocacy, policy-making, environmental change, surveillance, community assessment, and evaluation. The program provides ample time for individual instruction and consultation with an international faculty, CDC personnel, and AHA staff. This program will be evaluated as to whether key learning objectives have been fulfilled.