Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast

Lauren McCormack PhD, MPSH is Vice President of RTI International’s Public Health Research Division and Adjunct Associate Professor in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. McCormack’s research bridges the fields of health communication and health policy. It involves developing, testing, and evaluating interventions to promote patient-centered care, patient engagement, and informed decision-making.  An […]

Alex Hogan is a multimedia journalist at STAT, which is a health and science news site from Boston Globe Media Partners. Hogan produces videos, illustrations and animations with the aim of making often complex topics accessible. In 2017, he produced the short documentary, “Runnin,'” which took an intimate look at the impact of the opioid […]

Karen Schriver PhD is President of KSA Communication Design and Research—a Pittsburgh-based consultancy focused on making information clear, compelling, and usable. She helps organizations draw on the latest empirical research so they can write and design more effective people-centered communications. She is a former professor of rhetoric and information design at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. […]

Alex Thomas MDand Gary Ashwal MA are co-founders of Booster Shot Media. Alex is a board-certified pediatric allergist/immunologist and a cartoonist/illustrator with more than 20 years’ experience. Gary is a health communication specialist and multimedia producer of healthcare content. With 15+ years of creative partnership, Alex and Gary apply their combined experience to produce comic books, […]

David Young is a Professor and Community Health Specialist at Montana State University. His work involves improving the health and well-being of vulnerable, at-risk, marginalized, hard-to-reach populations. Young’s research is focused on promoting health literacy, health insurance literacy, and improved self-care management skills of those who are incarcerated. In this podcast, Helen Osborne talks with David […]

The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science is located at Stony Brook University on Long Island, NY. As stated on its website, The Alda Center “empowers scientists and health professionals to communicate complex topics in clear, vivid, and engaging ways.” Laura Lindenfeld, PhD, is Director of the Alda Center and Professor in Stony Brook’s School […]

Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher, Ph.D.is Associate Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education and Research Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He also is Associate Director of University of Michigan’s Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine. Trained in decision psychology and behavioral economics, Dr. Zikmund-Fisher designs and […]

Laurie Myers is the Global Health Literacy Director for Merck & Co, Inc. In this role, Myers leads the company’s health literacy efforts globally. Her leadership has helped to improve patient communications in medication labeling, packaging, clinical trial materials, lay summaries, patient education, and more. Myers presents this work at conferences around the world and […]

Aaron Frechette’s background is in journalism. Starting as a teenager, Frechette has worked in both radio and newspaper as a reporter and editor. He also is experienced in facilitating public forums about issues that affect the community. Frechette now brings this wide array of communication skills to his work at the Rhode Island Department of Health. In this podcast, Aaron Frechette speaks for himself and his views do not necessarily reflect those of his employer. In this podcast, Aaron Frechette talks with Helen Osborne about: Why it’s important to talk with the public about ticks and other environmental concerns. And reasons that doing so can be difficult. Effective strategies to communicate environmental health messages–even when the science is hard to understand, issues may be controversial, and resources are limited. Resources to share, build upon, and use in collaboration. More Ways to Learn: “Everything You Need to Know About Mosquitos & Ticks,” at http://health.ri.gov/publications/guides/Tick_Mosquito_Booklet.pdf “Is there a tick on you?” Access this poster at http://health.ri.gov/publications/posters/IsThereATickOnYouposter.pdf Rhode Island Tick Detective Workbook for Kids. Available for free at http://health.ri.gov/publications/books/TFRIKidsWorkbook.pdf New Hampshire Tick Detective Workbook for Kids. Available for free at https://tickfreenh.org/product/tick-free-nh-tick-detective-workbook-for-kids/ Tick Free Rhode Island Fact Sheet. PDF of 8 ½ x 11 fact sheet/poster available at http://health.ri.gov/publications/posters/TFRIPoster.pdf University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter Resource Center: http://tickencounter.org/ Free CDC resources on Lyme Disease: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/pubs/CDCInfoOnDemand.aspx (select vector-borne diseases/Lyme Disease from dropdown) “Climate Change and Your Health: A Guide for Rhode Islanders.” PDF of this booklet available at http://health.ri.gov/publications/guides/ClimateChangeAndYourHealth.pdf “Rhode Island’s Changing Climate: Building Resilience Through Local Solutions.” 10-minute mini-documentary at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=Vx04V1zEX7s State of Rhode Island Department of Health’s information about Climate Change. Find additional information at http://health.ri.gov/healthrisks/climatechange/ Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Second Edition (Updated 2018), by Helen Osborne. Relevant chapters include: 13, 27 Read the transcript of this podcast.

Leigh Curtin-Wilding, MSc is a content author, strategist, storyteller, and marketing communication professional. Her passion is making health information usable and meaningful for today’s consumer. Leigh serves as director of, and teaches at, Boston University’s online graduate program in Health Communication. In this podcast, Leigh Curtin-Wilding talks with Helen Osborne about: Being agile in health communication, prepared to adapt content to changing conditions, policies, and formats. Understanding the user’s journey that includes actions, emotions, and how they access information. Tips for effective communication including understanding the audience, chunking information, having short bursts of information, and using visuals and good design. More Ways to Learn: Boston University’s Online Master of Science in Health Communication, at https://www.bu.edu/online/programs/graduate-programs/health-communication/ gov: What & Why of Usability. Includes information about content strategy basics and best practices, https://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/content-strategy.html DigitalMarketer: How to Create Half the Content in Twice the Time, with Agile Content Marketing. At https://www.digitalmarketer.com/agile-content-marketing/ Nielsen Norman Group: Evidence-Based User Experience Research, Training, and Consulting. Includes resources for evidence-based user-experience (UX) research. At https://www.nngroup.com/reports/ Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Second Edition (Updated 2018), by Helen Osborne. Relevant chapters include: 34, 35, 36, 39 Read the transcript of this podcast. 

Wilma Alvarado-Little MA, MSW focuses on health equity from a linguistic and cultural perspective. She serves as the Associate Commissioner for New York State’s Department of Health and Director of its Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities. Her experience includes work in public policy, research, health literacy, and health disparities prevention. Alvarado-Little also is a healthcare interpreter and has helped develop numerous hospital and clinic-based programs. She is an invited participant on many national and statewide boards that address issues of culture and language in healthcare. In this podcast, Wilma Alvarado-Little talks with Helen Osborne about: Culture in health communication has many dimensions. Beyond issues of race and ethnicity, includes factors such as socioeconomic status, communication preferences, and even work schedules. Language includes written words, spoken words, and numbers along with body language, context, and potential distractions. Ways to consider culture and language in all forms of health communication. More ways to learn: Roundtable on Health Literacy, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine. http://nationalacademies.org/HMD/Activities/PublicHealth/HealthLiteracy.aspx National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University. https://nccc.georgetown.edu Think Cultural Health, US Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov National CLAS Standards, https://www.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/clas “Research About Using the Milliliter as a Standard Unit for Liquid Medication,” Health Literacy Out podcast #126. http://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/2014/12/09/research-about-using-the-milliliter-as-a-standard-unit-for-liquid-medication-hlol-126/ Health Literacy Consulting, healthliteracy.com Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Second Edition (Updated 2018), by Helen Osborne. Relevant chapters include: 7, 15, 18, 27 Read the transcript of this podcast.

Ruth Parker MD, MACP is Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.  For over two decades, her work has focused on research, education, and policy efforts to advance our nation’s health literacy. Ruth Parker’s health literacy accomplishments are many including being an author of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) and the widely used definition of health literacy included in numerous scholarly articles and national health policies. She is also a life-long athlete and has completed more than 25 marathons using the RunWalkRun® method. (Pictured in photo on the left) Carmen Patrick Mohan MD FACP is an internal medicine physician, urban homesteader, and marathon runner who prescribes food and exercise as medicine. She works to foster change in healthcare delivery through internet technology, improved patient communication, and information access. Carmen Patrick Mohan specializes in cardiometabolic risk factor reduction with a focus on women. She is also a competitive runner and on a quest to complete marathons in 50 states and on 7 continents. (In photo on the right) Dr. Ruth Parker and Dr. Carmen Patrick Mohan talk with Helen Osborne about: The book they co-authored with Jeff Galloway, The Women’s Guide to Health: Run Walk Run, Eat Right, and Feel Better. What this book is about and why it was important to write. How their practice as physicians, experience as marathon runners, and commitment to health literacy help women of all abilities achieve fundamental health. Tips and strategies for podcast listeners–of all professions, genders, ages, and levels of activity—to help others and themselves become more fit and healthy. More Ways to Learn: The Women’s Guide to Health: Run Walk Run, Eat Right, and Feel Better, by Jeff Galloway, Ruth Parker, Carmen Patrick Mohan. Published by Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2018. Available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Womens-Guide-Health-Right-Better/dp/1782551239 Author websites: Her RX: The Women’s Guide to Health. At https://www.herprescriptions.com America’s Coach: Run-Walk-Run with Jeff Galloway. http://www.jeffgalloway.com Facebook: The Women’s Guide to Health Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Second Edition (Updated 2018), by Helen Osborne. Relevant chapters include: 1, 13, 27 Read the written transcript.

Heather Schragg is Director of Patient Experience at Eaton Rapids Medical Center in Eaton Rapids, MI. She not only oversees the hospital’s Risk and Quality Management programs but also its initiatives to improve patient and employee experiences. Heather is committed to helping patients navigate and understand the complicated healthcare system. Mitch Ross is a police officer in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Over the years he has held many positions, including work in an Anti-Gang Unit Squad and on a Major Incident Response Team. He also is an adjunct instructor at the Milwaukee Police Training Academy. In addition, Mitch educates civilians about reporting suspicious activities and responding appropriately during active shooter events. Helen Osborne talks with Heather Schragg and Mitch Ross about: What law enforcement, hospital risk management, and health literacy have in common when it comes to health communication. Effective ways to communicate when a calm situation escalates into a crisis. And ways to use words and body language to help calm a tense situation. Communication tips that all of us, regardless of our profession or setting, can use to build trust and understanding. Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Second Edition (Updated 2018), by Helen Osborne. Relevant chapters include: 13, 24, 27, 41 Read the transcript of this podcast.

Aretha Delight Davis MD, JD, and Angelo Volandes MD, MPH, are an amazing team. They not only are married to each another but also created, run, research, and otherwise make possible ACP Decisions — an ever-growing collection of video support tools designed to help patients and families make informed decisions about advance care planning and end-of-life care. They both are physicians. Dr. Davis is also a lawyer. Their accomplishments are many and build on a deep and unwavering commitment to empowering patients. In this podcast Dr. Davis and Dr. Volandes talk with Helen Osborne about: Advance Care Planning (ACP). What it includes and why this topic is important to patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. “Death illiteracy” and other reasons it can be hard to discuss advance care planning. Tips, strategies, and tools to help make advance care planning conversations easier. These include using videos and excellent consumer-facing websites. More ways to learn: ACP Decisions, https://www.acpdecisions.org The Conversation Project, http://theconversationproject.org Stanford Medicine’s Letter Project, https://med.stanford.edu/letter.html PREPARE for your care, https://www.prepareforyourcare.org Volandes A, The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care, Bloomsbury USA, 2016. Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/Conversation-Revolutionary-Plan-End-Life/dp/1620408554/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503760311&sr=8-1&keywords=the+conversation+angelo+volandes Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Second Edition (Updated 2018), by Helen Osborne. Relevant chapters include: 5, 8, 13, 22, 30, 41 Read the transcript of this podcast.

Joanne Schwartzberg MD is Scholar-in-Residence for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Her career is filled with important accomplishments including many years of teaching, writing, researching, and creating healthcare policy. In my opinion, it’s also thanks in large part to Dr. Schwartzberg’s leadership at the American Medical Association (AMA) that the field of health literacy has flourished and grown. In this podcast, Dr. Joanne Schwartzberg talks with Helen Osborne about: Why people of all reading abilities have trouble following instructions on medication labels. Ways that designers, pharmacists, scientific organizations, and others are working to improve the readability and usefulness of medication labels. How podcast listeners can be part of this effort to make medication labels better. More ways to learn: Connor U, Wolf MS, Davis TC, et al, “To Err is Human: Patient Misinterpretation of Prescription Drug Label Instructions,” Patient Education and Counseling, Vol. 67, pp 293-300, 2007. Read abstract and download paper for free at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1863986 S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), at http://www.usp.org/about-usp Wisconsin Health Literacy’s Medication Label Summit. Learn more at http://wisconsinliteracy.org/health-literacy/training-conferences/medication-label-summit/improving-prescribed-drug-labels-to-help-patient-understanding-a-medication-label-summit.html Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Second Edition (Updated 2018), by Helen Osborne. Relevant chapters include: 1, 9, 26, 28, 37 Read the transcript of this podcast.