Health Literacy Research

The Department of Family and Community Medicine has an active health literacy research and education program. The effort is led by Barry D Weiss, MD.

Recent research has focused on creating the Newest Vital Sign, a quick health literacy assessment instrument for use in clinical settings, and on the relationship between literacy and depression. This research has been conducted in collaboration with colleagues at institutions around the nation.

Health literacy education includes a new program funded by the US Health Resources and Services Administration to bring on-line health literacy education to clinical primary care preceptors. Additional health literacy education efforts are conducted in collaboration with the American Medical Association and others.

Dr Weiss lectures widely – both nationally and internationally – on the topic of health literacy. He has served as a consultant on health literacy to the Institute of Medicine, the American College of Physicians Foundation, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization, the American Medical Association Foundation, and others.

Click here for a list of health literacy publications by department faculty.