Honoring a leader: teacher and scholar Christina Zarcadoolas is 2018 Doak Health Literacy Champion
Christina Zarcadoolas, Ph.D. at one and the same time is a 1980s “first generation” health literacy scholar and one of today’s innovators both in the US and globally. To honor her lifetime achievements, Health Literacy Media is pleased to announce that she will be awarded the 2018 Cecilia and Leonard Doak Health Literacy Champion Award.
Over the course of her career, Christina has focused on understanding how people make meaning from information about health, science, the environment, and in relationship to their lived experiences – the social and political forces they navigate on a daily basis.
“Christina Zarcadoolas is one of the small number of individuals who set the stage for the entire field of health literacy,” said Dr. Steve Pu, chairman of the board of directors of Health Literacy Media, “without her foundational work and theory building, organizations like Health Literacy Media might never exist. We all owe her our sincere thanks.”
Her critically acclaimed book, “Advancing Health Literacy: A Framework for Understanding and Action,” (co-authored with Andrew Pleasant, PhD., and Dr. David S. Greer, Jossey-Bass/Wiley 2006) was one of the first in-depth scholarly works on health literacy. The book presented an elaborated model of health literacy informed by linguistic theory, cognitive science, and media studies. Health literacy, the book argued, must address fundamental literacy, science literacy, civic literacy, and cultural literacy. A review of the book in the New England Journal of Medicine referred to it as "required reading" for public health professionals responsible for developing new tools for communicating with patients and the general public. Her work over the last decade has addressed public health literacy and its powerful role in how people and communities respond to complex emergencies.
In both her teaching and writing Dr. Zarcadoolas has seen health literacy as an “equal opportunity endeavor.” To bridge the gaps between health and science, experts and the public must identify and address the strengths and limitations of all parties involved. Her teaching and writing are a testament to this. Among the institutions where she has left her mark are Brown University’s Center for Environmental Studies, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Hunter College, and City University of New York. She is also the founder and creator of the Health Literacy Lab at www.healthliteracylab.com.
Health Literacy Media established the Cecilia and Leonard Doak Health Literacy Champion Award to honor individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in health literacy and whose work focuses on bridging the gap between the skills of people and the demands of the health care system.
The award, named after two other founders of the health literacy movement, is presented to a single individual or organization each year and recognizes those who exhibit the highest standards of excellence, dedication and accomplishment over a sustained period of time, and who are creative and highly skilled pioneers in the health literacy field. The award recognizes rigorous work and celebrates collaborative efforts to shape a path to good health.
Previous Health Literacy Media Doak awardees include: Dr. Richard Carmona, former Surgeon General of the United States; Michael Villaire, CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Advancement, Dr. Andrew Pleasant, who has since joined Health Literacy Media; Dr. Cynthia Baur; Dr. Ruth Murphey Parker; Dr. James Kimmey, past president of the Missouri Foundation for Health and a key founder of Health Literacy Missouri; and Dr. Rima Rudd.
Health Literacy Media will present the award at The Thaxton, 1009 Olive St., St. Louis, MO, 63101 on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018 from 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. (CDT).
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Allen Todd, HLM Director of Partnerships and Initiatives at (314) 361-9400 or atodd@healthliteracy.media.
Honoring a leader like Christina Zarcadoolas for her incredible work as the 2018 Doak Health Literacy Champion really makes you think about how hard it is for everyday people to navigate confusing medical information, especially when you are dealing with something as draining as exhausted perimenopause. When your body is going through those intense midlife shifts, brain fog and fatigue make trying to understand dense health jargon feel almost impossible. We genuinely need more trailblazers like Zarcadoolas who fight to make public health accessible, clear, and empathetic for women who are already feeling completely overwhelmed by their symptoms. Stumbling through endless conflicting medical advice during exhausted perimenopause is a lonely struggle, so seeing someone recognized for bridging that massive communication…
This is a wonderful recognition of Christina Zarcadoolas and her remarkable contribution to the field of health literacy. Her work shows how important it is to make health information understandable, accessible, and useful for people from different backgrounds. Celebrating pioneers like her also highlights the continuing importance of clear communication in healthcare. Professionals such as a Dentist in Oakville can benefit from these principles by ensuring patients fully understand their treatment options and health information. Congratulations on such a well-deserved honor!
Dr. Christina Zarcadoolas truly laid the foundational groundwork for modern health literacy, changing how public health professionals communicate with communities. Her emphasis on civic, cultural, and science literacy proves that effective communication is an equal opportunity endeavor that bridges critical gaps between experts and the public. Clear health communication empowers individuals to make informed decisions about every aspect of their well-being, whether they are navigating complex medical treatments or seeking convenient mental health support from a virtual psychiatrist when dealing with stress.