Dr Caroline Foreman B.Sc BMBS FRACP is a clinical immunology and allergy specialist, with a special interest in the communication of allergies. As Medical Director of the not-for-profit foundation MedicAlert Australia, Caroline provides clinical oversight and guidance to ensure that this foundation maintains its high clinical standards.

Listen as Dr Caroline Foreman talks with Helen Osborne about:

• Emergency health information. A simplified medical history that prioritizes information about what to do and not do in an emergency.
• How this information helps first responders, doctors, and patients.
• Ways patients can be their own advocate even in an emergency by sharing essential health information with MedicAlert’s scannable QR code.

More ways to learn:

• How MedicAlert’s QR code works (video demonstration on youtube)
• When Patients Create Their Own Binders: A Powerful Way to Get Organized and Feel More in Control. Health Literacy Out Loud podcast interview with Bridget Gaglio

Information about MedicAlert in Australia:

• Trusted Medical ID and Alert Jewellery by MedicAlert®
• MedicAlert’s QR ID Code
• MedicAlert Foundation Australia | Facebook
• MedicAlert Australia (@medicalert.au) • Instagram photos and videos

Information about MedicAlert in USA:

• MedicAlert Foundation
• QR Code Medical IDs, MedicAlert Foundation

Information about MedicAlert in Canada:

• MedicAlert Foundation Canada | We Speak When You Can’t
• MedicAlert’s New +CARD

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Community Connections” is especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Emergency Health Information (HLOL #266) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Liz Seegert is an award-winning, independent journalist. Liz has written about health for more than 30 years. Her main beats include aging, women’s health, social determinants of health, and health policy. Liz’s articles have appeared in dozens of national and local media outlets including Scientific American, TIME, The American Journal of Nursing, and Web MD/Medscape. Liz is the contributing editor on aging and health equity for the Association of Healthcare Journalists (AHCJ). She also co-directs two fellowship programs–mentoring and training emerging journalists in aging and in health reporting.

Listen as Liz Seegert talks with Helen Osborne about:

• Narrative Journalism. What it is and how narrative journalism uses real-life stories to make points clear and compelling.
• Ways to include elements of narrative journalism in messages about health, public health, and health advocacy.
• Recommendations from a journalist. These include tips for working with sources who let you share their stories. And examples of ways to respond when editors, lawyers, and others comment on your writing.

More ways to learn:

• Liz Seegert: Health Journalist/Writer
• Liz Seegert on LinkedIn
• Liz Seegert on Bluesky
• Association of Health Care Journalists Age Beat

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “General Public: Traditional Media” is especially relevant to this podcast

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Narrative Journalism: Stories to Make Points Clear and Compelling (HLOL #265) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Today’s two guests are leaders of the new United States Health Literacy Association (USHLA).

• Karen Komondor, RN, BSN, CCRN, is the co-founder and president of USHLA. Recognized for her ongoing leadership and expertise in health literacy, Karen’s passion for this topic comes from knowing why, both personally and professionally, understandable health communication matters so much. Karen is Founder and President of Health Literacy 360, LLC, a consulting and training firm that focuses on enhancing healthcare communication practices. In all her work, Karen builds on collaboration to expand the boundaries of health literacy.
• Monique Hill, MSW, is the Secretary of USHLA. She also is the Founder and Lead Consultant of HELP Solutions, a health equity consulting firm launched in 2022. Prior to this, Monique served as an Associate Professor and Health Literacy and Partnership Engagement Advisor for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Region 2. Monique’s ongoing mission is to ensure that every community has the tools, understanding, and support to take charge of their health.

Helen Osborne talks with Karen Komondor and Monique Hill about:

• United States Health Literacy Association (USHLA) is a national, grassroots, non-profit organization. Its focus is to be “policy-powered” and “advocacy-driven.”
• USHLA is designed as a dynamic forum where individuals and organizations can connect, collaborate, take action, and share resources to advance health literacy. It is about building synergy, rather than remaining in silos.
• Opportunities and encouragement to get involved with USHLA.

More ways to learn:

• United States Health Literacy Association (USHLA)
• Health Literacy 360, LLC (Karen Komondor)
• Health Equity & Literacy Partnership (HELP) Solutions (Monique Hill)
• Health Literacy definitions in Healthy People 2030
• “The Value of Knowing Why Health Literacy Matters,” HLOL podcast interview with Karen Komondor
• “Learning and Teaching about Health & Insurance,” HLOL podcast interview with Bonnie Braun

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Organizations: Health Literacy Across Programs, Companies, Communities, and Countries” is especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post U.S. Health Literacy Association: From Silos to Synergy (HLOL #264) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Helen is taking a break to recover from back surgery, so we’re re-running some classic episodes. Here’s one from 2024.

Rear Admiral (RDML) Paul Reed, MD is the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, the Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, a pediatrician, and a senior U.S. Public Health Service Officer. His primary responsibility is to advise the Assistant Secretary for Health on disease prevention and health promotion programs and policies. Additionally, RDML Reed provides direction and oversight for national health initiatives such as Healthy People 2030, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition.

In this podcast, RDML Paul Reed talks with Helen Osborne about:

• Finding health in context of people’s lives including in the environments where they live, work, play, grow, and age.
• Reframing health in terms of vital conditions for well-being and justice.
• Building resilience within communities and encouraging citizens to flex their “civic muscles” so as to help everyone reach their full potential.

More ways to Learn:

• Health.gov. Includes important links to health literacy information and resources. From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
• Health Literacy in Healthy People 2030. Includes the health literacy definitions and objectives in this U.S. public health initiative. From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
• Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being Framework, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
• “Health and Well-Being Begin with Health Literacy”, a blog post by RDML Paul Reed, October 12, 2021
• “Organizations Have an Opportunity to Enhance Health Literacy”, a blog post by RDML Paul Reed, October 25, 2022.
• “Living Artful Lives to Enhance Health and Well-Being”, a blog post by RDML Paul Reed, March 28, 2023.
• “Establishing Equitable Resilience Requires Shared Stewardship”, a blog post by RDML Paul Reed, January 30, 2023
• “Akron-Summit County Public Library and Healthy People: Prioritizing Educational Opportunities for Community Members”, a blog post that is part of Healthy People 2020 in Review, December 5, 2022
• “Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry and Healthy People: Repairing Homes to Help Ensure Safety and Independence”, a blog post that is part of Healthy People 2020 in Review, November 9, 2022.
• “Sacramento Public Library and Healthy People: Prioritizing Health Literacy to Meet Community Members’ Needs”, a blog post that is part of Healthy People 2020 in Review, October 26, 2022.

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. Especially relevant to this podcast are the chapters, “Community Connections,” “Health Equity in the Context of Health Literacy,” and “Organizations: Health Literacy Across Programs, Companies, Communities, and Countries.”

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Re-Airing: Health in the Context of People’s Lives (HLOL #263) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Helen is taking a break to recover from back surgery, so we’re re-running some classic episodes. Here’s one from 2019.

Bridget Gaglio PhD, MPH is a Senior Program Officer for the Clinical Effectiveness and Decision Science program at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). She works to improve communication and dissemination of evidence-based information among patients and their healthcare providers. Gaglio has published papers on patient-centered communication, health literacy, and dissemination and implementation of health interventions. But this podcast isn’t about that. Rather, it’s about experiences and lessons Bridget and Helen each learned as patients.

In this podcast, Helen Osborne talks with Bridget Gaglio about:

• Becoming a patient can happen in a moment, whether from an accident or unexpected diagnosis. Some reasons that communication can be very hard, even for patients who are good readers and savvy about health.
• Why to create your own medical binder and what to include. How such binders (on paper, electronic, or both) can help patients feel empowered and more in control.
• Tips, suggestions, and lessons learned for patients and providers, alike.

More Ways to Learn:

• PCORI’s Advisory Panel on Clinical Effectiveness and Decision Science.
• “Health Literacy—An Important Element in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research,”by Bridget Gaglio, published in The Journal of Health Communication, September 26, 2016.
• “Health Literacy Out Loud podcast, “After Visit Summaries (HLOL #152).”An interview with Alex Federman, MD, MPH. July 1, 2016.

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Second Edition (updated 2018),by Helen Osborne. Chapter 5 is especially relevant to this podcast, “Communicating When Patients Feel Scared, Sick, and Overwhelmed.”

Read the transcript of this podcast.

The post Re-Airing: When Patients Create Their Own Medical Binders: A Powerful Way to Get Organized and Feel More in Control (HLOL #262) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Leslie J. Pelton, MPA is a senior program officer at The John A. Hartford Foundation, where she oversees grants that are transforming care for older adults and family caregivers through the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement. Prior to this, Leslie was vice president at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, where she collaborated with funders, national partners and leading health systems to design and spread Age-Friendly Health Systems. As of May 2025, more than 5,200 hospitals, medical practices, nursing homes, clinics, and home health care agencies, this movement is committed to delivering evidence-based care to reduce harm and align with what matters to older patients and their caregivers.

Listen as Leslie Pelton talks with Helen Osborne about:

• Age-Friendly Health Systems. What these systems are, where they happen, why they matter throughout the continuum of care
• The essential 4Ms of Age-Friendly Health Systems: 1) What Matters 2) Medication 3) Mentation 4) Mobility
• How clinicians, older adults, family caregivers, healthcare facilities, community organizations and others can routinely use the 4Ms of age-friendly care

More ways to learn:

• Age-Friendly Health Systems
• My Health Checklist
• The John A. Hartford Foundation
• IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvement)
• Care Compare: Doctors and Clinicians Initiative (CMS)

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Know Your Audience: Older Adults” is especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Age-Friendly Health Systems (HLOL #261) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Doris Zallen, PhD, is Professor Emerita of Science Studies and Humanities at Virginia Tech. Her research explores personal, family, and societal issues arising from advances in genetic testing and gene therapy. Zallen is the author of two books about genetic testing and is developing an online tool to help people make informed choices about testing. Zallen always draws from the experiences of genetic professionals along with everyday people making decisions about whether to have genetic testing.

Jamie Tyrone has been a patient advocate for many years after accidently learning that she has the gene that puts her at high risk for Alzheimer’s Disease. Ever since, Tyrone’s advocacy has taken many forms including as a research participant, co-author, and member of several professional committees. Tyrone wrote a book about her experience, Fighting for My Life – How to Thrive in the Shadow of Alzheimer’s. 

Listen as Doris Zallen, Jamie Tyrone, and Helen Osborne discuss:

• Genetic tests. What these tests are, why they often are used, ways to get tested within or outside of a clinical setting.
• Jamie Tyrone’s story as an example of what went so wrong after having a direct-to-consumer genetic test and then learning the results.
• How genetic test results can affect a person’s future health decisions, family, and finances.
• Tips for making a reasoned choice about whether to get tested along with strategies to more clearly communicate about genetic testing.

More ways to learn:

• Does It Run in the Family?: A Consumer’s Guide to DNA Testing for Genetic Disorders, by Doris Zallen, Rutgers University Press,1997.
• To Test or Not To Test: A Guide to Genetic Screening and Risk, by Doris Zallen, Rutgers University Press, 2008.
• Fighting for My Life: How to Thrive in the Shadow of Alzheimer’s, by Jamie Tyrone, Harper Collins, 2019.
• “Disclosing Individual Results in Dementia Research: A Proposed Study Participant’s Bill of Rights,” J Alzheimers Disease, 2022. By Walter S, Taylor A, Tyrone J, Langer S, Pagan J-R, Hummel CH, Wheaton BM, Zallen DT, Rosen AC.
• AGREEDementia: Advisory Group on Risk Education for Dementia
• “Return of Individual Results,” from the MRCT (Multi-Regional Clinical Trials) Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard.
• Gene Test or Not? This online tool is designed to help decide whether or not to get tested for your genetic risk for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. It spells out specific personal, family, and societal issues to consider when deciding about any particular form of genetic testing.

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Decisions About Treatment, End-of-Live Choices, or Whether to Participate in Clinical Trials” is especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Genetic Testing; Conversation with a Researcher and Patient Advocate (HLOL #260) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Karel van der Waarde is an information designer based in Belgium. His projects often focus on medication information that is given to patients by doctors and pharmacists. Karel teaches about information design to audiences worldwide. He is active in many professional associations including the International Institute for Information Design (IIID). He also was part of the team that developed the 2023 International ISO standards for plain language (ISO 24495).

Listen as Karel van der Waarde talks with Helen Osborne about:

• Is health literacy essentially about the ability of people or the ability of information? How health literacy often goes beyond these binary choices. Context and everyday distractions should also be considered.
• The importance of designing materials with people who will use this information. This process starts by learning about their needs and continues through user testing to measure effectiveness.
• Tips and resources for clinicians, designers, community agencies, and everyone who wants to clearly communicate about health.

More ways to learn:

• Karel van der Waarde
• “Enabling patients by listening to them,” a TEDxHSLU talk by Karel van der Waarde
• International Institute for Information Design (IIID)
• ISO plain language standard, from the International Plain Language Federation
• “Using Design to Get Readers to Read and Keep Reading,” a Health Literacy Out Loud podcast interview with Karen Schriver
• “How Visual Cues Help Readers Read,” a Health Literacy Out Loud podcast interview with Josiah Fisk

 Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapters “Document Design” and “Plain Language” are especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Discussing Health Literacy with an Information Designer (HLOL #259) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Cheryl Lekousi is the Executive Director of the Hearts & Noses Hospital Clown Troup based in Needham, MA. In her work as a clown, Cheryl is referred to as “Tic Toc.” Building on anextensive background in special needs education and early child development, Cheryl now makes clown visits to pediatric hospital units, memory care facilities for older adults, and a range of community events for ill and disabled children.

Kenny Raskin is the Artistic Director of Hearts & Noses, training the troupe in clowning skills, partnering, and sensitivity to hospital staff and patients and their families. As a clown, Kenny is known as “Dr. Mensch.” Kenny is recognized internationally for his skills as a physical comedian and clown. He has performed in numerous films, circuses, television shows, and stage productions. Kenny even was the comic sidekick of the villain Gaston in the Broadway production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

Cheryl Lekousi and Kenny Raskin talk with Helen Osborne about:

• Medical clowns: What they do, who they are, ways clowns can help.
• Stories and examples of medical clowns in action across the lifespan.
• Lessons learned for the rest of us about bringing some joy and humanity to otherwise stressful medical situations.

More ways to learn more:

• Hearts & Noses Hospital Clown Troupe
• Michael Christensen: Clown, Juggler, Circus Director
• “Clown Doctors as a Treatment for Preoperative Anxiety in Children: A Randomized, Prospective Study”, by Vagnoli et al, Pediatrics, 2005.
• Medical Clowning: The Healing Performance, by Amnon Raviv
• New Perspectives on Medical Clowning: Clown Doctors in COVID-19, Wartime, and the Everyday, by Amnon Raviv
• Beyond the Red Nose, The Serious Business of Healthcare Clowning, by Tiffany Riley
• The Clown Doctor Chronicles, by Caroline Simonds & Bernie Warren

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Zest and Pizzazz” is especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Medical Clowns: A Dose of Joy for Patients of All Ages (HLOL #258) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Christopher Pizzute, MA, LCAT, MT-BC, is a music psychotherapist who works in inpatient and outpatient services at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. His expertise extends to palliative, psychiatric, geriatric, pediatric, and neonatal care. Christopher is also a songwriter, artist, and video game advocate whose work now extends to exploring the benefit of video game music as part of music therapy.

Listen as Christopher Pizzute and Helen Osborne talk about:

• The importance of music throughout the life cycle.
• Examples of using music to support patient care.
• Some ways to include music in healthcare and community settings.

More ways to learn more:

• Mount Sinai Health System, The Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy
• “The Effects of Music Therapy on Vital Signs, Feeding, and Sleep in Premature Infants,”Loewy J et al, Pediatrics, May 2013.
• https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/loewylab/ ‘The Loewy Laboratory’ Research website for the Louis Armstrong Department for Music Therapy
• American Music Therapy Association
• “Teaching & Singing About Health in South Africa,” HLOL podcast interview with village health workers.
• “Mache Seibel Talks about Using Music and Song,” HLOL podcast interview with Mache Seibel, MD.

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Zest and Pizzazz” is especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Using Music to Support Patient Care (HLOL #257) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Today’s episode is a re-airing of an important podcast first posted in 2009. It is my conversation with the husband-and-wife team of Cecelia (Cici) and Leonard (Len) Doak. The field of health literacy as we know it today builds on the strong foundation of research, practice, and advocacy that began with the Doaks. While both of them have since passed on, it is well worthwhile to listen as Len & Ceci share why health literacy mattered decades ago and why it remains so important today.

Cecelia (Ceci) Doak started as a commissioned officer in the US Public Health Service. During her more 20 years there, Ceci developed and led numerous health education programs. In fact, she received a commendation from the Surgeon General for her work educating the public about cancer.

Leonard (Len) Doak comes to health literacy via adult education, volunteering for many years as a tutor of non-readers. Len’s first career was as a Navy engineer and among his many accomplishments he helped simplify instructions for crews working on ships and submarines.

Len and Ceci, along with their co-author Jane Root, wrote the landmark book first published in 1985, Teaching Patients with Low Literacy Skills. Len and Ceci wrote guidelines for many important projects and analyzed the suitability of over 2,000 healthcare materials. They presented at more than 200 health literacy workshops, training thousands of health professionals in all disciplines.

Len and Ceci Doak talk with Helen Osborne about:

• How health literacy began more than 30 years ago
• Why health literacy was important then, and is even more so today
• Strategies to improve communication and assess understanding
• Ceci & Len Doak’s vision for health literacy in the future

More ways to learn:

Doak, Doak, & Root, Teaching Patients with Low Literacy Skills, Second Edition, 1996. Now available on Internet Archive.

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “About Health Literacy” is especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post HLOL #256: Len & Ceci Doak Discuss Health Literacy’s Past, Present and Future appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.