Diana Peña Gonzalez, MPH, MCHES, is the Health Literacy Education Director at the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). She has implemented programs nationally surrounding topics such as health insurance literacy, asthma, teen health, and oral health. She has provided training on health literacy best practices for community-based organizations through web-based or in-person settings. As the Health Literacy Education Director, Gonzalez leads content development for IHA’s Annual Health Literacy Conference. She oversees the rewrite and redesign consulting services offered at IHA and supervises membership engagement and content on the Health Literacy Solutions Center. She has earned her Masters in Public Health from Touro University and currently is a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University, School of Education. 

Michael Villaire, MSLM, is Chairman and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Advancement, a healthcare nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to empowering people to better health, with a major mission emphasis on health literacy and health equity.

Mr. Villaire has written numerous articles on various aspects of health literacy, and lectures nationally on health literacy. He is co-author of the textbook, Health Literacy in Primary Care- A Clinicians Guide, published by Springer in 2007, and the self-help health book, What To Do When Your Child Is Heavy, published by IHA in 2009.

As its CEO, Mr. Villaire leads IHAs health literacy initiatives:

• The IHA Health Literacy Solutions Center
• The Health Literacy Specialist Certificate Program
• Two national, annual, continuing education conferences: Operational Solutions to Improve Health Literacy, and the co-sponsored Health Literacy in Action conference
• IHAs self-help health book series, What To Do For Health, and the micro-pub series on mental health, and one on managing chronic illnesses
• Health Literacy Research and Practice, an online, peer-reviewed, open access journal in health literacy.

Dr. Suzanne Wertheim is a national expert on language and bias. 

After getting her Ph.D. in Linguistics from Berkeley, she held faculty positions at Northwestern, University of Maryland, and UCLA. In 2011, she left the university system in order to apply her expertise to real-world problems.

As head of Worthwhile Research & Consulting, Dr. Wertheim analyzes and addresses bias at work. Using the tools of linguistic anthropology, she guides clients to more inclusive language, content, and workplaces. Dr. Wertheim’s book, The Inclusive Language Field Guide, was published in October 2023.

My passion is leading and inspiring the positive disruption and transformation of patient education and engagement. I have had the privilege of being the inaugural senior leader of Patient Education and Health Literacy efforts of both Johns Hopkins Medicine and Novant Health.

Diana Peña Gonzalez, MPH, MCHES, is the Health Literacy Education Director at the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). She has implemented programs nationally surrounding topics such as health insurance literacy, asthma, teen health, and oral health. She has provided training on health literacy best practices for community-based organizations through web-based or in-person settings. As the Health Literacy Education Director, Gonzalez leads content development for IHA’s Annual Health Literacy Conference. She oversees the rewrite and redesign consulting services offered at IHA and supervises membership engagement and content on the Health Literacy Solutions Center. She has earned her Masters in Public Health from Touro University and currently is a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University, School of Education. 

Dayna Gowan is a Health and Wellness Manager at Keenan and Associates in California. Dayna is also a speaker, workshop facilitator, improviser, and co-host of The A-Ha! Method Podcast, which focuses on public speaking. Learning public speaking and improvisation skills have changed her life and made her a more confident speaker, colleague, and friend. Her mission is to make all meetings and workshops – whether online or in-person – fun and engaging for all attendees!

Dayna Gowan is a Health and Wellness Manager and Consultant at Keenan and Associates in California where she helps school district and municipality clients plan, implement, and evaluate their employee wellness programs. Dayna holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).

Outside of work, Dayna is a speaker, workshop facilitator, improviser, Distinguished Toastmaster, and co-host of The A-Ha! Method Podcast, which focuses on all issues related to public speaking. Learning public speaking and improvisation skills have changed her life and made her a more confident speaker, colleague, and friend. Her mission is to make all meetings and workshops – whether online or in-person – fun and engaging for all attendees!

Dayna is excited to lead this Guided Improvisation for Laughter, Fun & Creativity Connection Cafe during the conference. This activity session will help conference attendees meet each other, share some laughs, and flex their creativity muscles!

Stan Hudson is director of professional development and training for the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). Prior to joining IHA, he was health literacy director for Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. He is a health literacy expert and health policy analyst with nearly 25 years of experience in health services research and more than 15 years of experience in health literacy with a focus on curriculum development. 

Over the last 2 decades, Hudson has led the development and implementation of health literacy and health equity education programs and curricula for health professionals and communities. For the past 3 years, he has been working on an extensive project to improve prescription medication labels in Wisconsin, making them easier to understand to increase adherence and reduce medication errors.

Stan Hudson is director of professional development and training for the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). Prior to joining IHA, he was health literacy director for Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. He is a health literacy expert and health policy analyst with nearly 25 years of experience in health services research and more than 15 years of experience in health literacy with a focus on curriculum development. 

Over the last 2 decades, Hudson has led the development and implementation of health literacy and health equity education programs and curricula for health professionals and communities. For the past 3 years, he has been working on an extensive project to improve prescription medication labels in Wisconsin, making them easier to understand to increase adherence and reduce medication errors.

Sylvia Baedorf Kassis, MPH, is a Program Director at the MRCT Center. Sylvia joined the MRCT Center in January of 2018 and previously held the Program Manager position at the Center.

Sylvia brought with her more than 20 years of clinical research-related experience in Canada and the United States of America. Her expertise includes ethical/regulatory review of research, clinical trial workforce training and capacity building, and study coordination, management and oversight.

Sylvia champions efforts to make clinical research more understandable and accessible to patients, participants, and caregivers through her work on Health Literacy in Clinical Research and the first-of-its-kind, plain language Clinical Research Glossary. In addition, she supports other MRCT Center initiatives in applying health literacy principles to their outputs.  Sylvia is passionate about patient/participant engagement, and as such strives for inclusivity in the programs she leads so that patient/participant voices are prioritized.

Sylvia’s clinical research interests include: understanding study participants’ experiences in research and incorporating their insights into study processes; supporting research coordinators through networks and training; and ensuring all research stakeholders have the resources they need to conduct ethical and compliant studies involving study participants and their data/samples.

Sylvia earned a Master of Public Health degree in Global Health from Boston University School of Public Health (2008) and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto (2001).

GV CERV Communications was launched in 2000. Gilbert Velazquez, a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), has combined his academic and real-world industry experience in graphic design, web, advertising, healthcare marketing and education, health literacy design, photography, videography, and fashion to furnish his clients with concepts that help them meet their marketing communication needs. Gilbert is a hands-on creative director who engages with the design, development, and client delivery process to ensure the client’s goals are met.

Tracy Mehan is the Director of Research Translation & Communications for the Center for Injury Research & Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital and serves as Subject Matter Expert on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for IHA. Her professional interests center on the effective communication of injury prevention messages and teaching others how to translate their research for non-scientific audiences. She likes to stay on top of what is cutting edge in the field of communications and is always looking for new and better ways to effectively reach people. In addition, she often serves as an injury prevention expert for mainstream media.

Katie Donovan is a digital communications specialist for the Center for Injury Research & Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Katie has experience in graphic design, video editing, website management, social media strategy, and program management. She visually disseminates child injury prevention messages with user experience, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in mind. Katie coordinates Prevent Child Injury and is the lead graphic designer for Trainees for Child Injury Prevention (T4CIP).

Laura Schwab Reese, MA, PhD, leverages her training as a mental health counselor, public health interventionist, and program evaluator to reduce the burden of violence in the United States. To accomplish this goal, she partners with communities to build and evaluate public health programs that reduce violence and the associated mental health consequences. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, the Indiana Family & Social Services Administration, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, among many others. Dr. Schwab Reese is the 2022 President-Elect for the Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR) and previously served as the chair of the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section of the American Public Health Association. She also serves on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Public Health, Child Abuse & Neglect, and the Journal of Child and Family Studies.

Munmun De Choudhury is an Associate Professor at the School of Interactive Computing in Georgia Tech. She is renowned for her contributions to the fields of computational social science and digital mental health, evidenced by awards like the 2023 SIGCHI Societal Impact Award, the 2023 ICWSM and the 2022 Web Science Trust Test-of-Time Awards, the 2021 ACM-W Rising Star Award, the 2019 Complex Systems Society – Junior Scientific Award, among others. Dr. De Choudhury is a persistent contributor to policy-framing and advocacy initiatives, and is sought for expert advice to governments, and national and international media.

Carissa Kathuria is an R&D lead for ambulatory clinical software at Epic. The team she leads focuses on expanding the capabilities of software as a clinical assistant using AI, including initiatives to integrate voice technology with the EHR. She works directly with Epic’s generative AI projects and collaborates with both third-party vendors and Epic's customer community to explore the potential of new technologies

Rob Lesher is the PA Forward Program Manager with the Pennsylvania Library Association. Rob received his Master's Degree in Library Science from Syracuse University and a Bachelor's Degree in History with Social Studies Certification from Messiah University. Before working for the Pennsylvania Library Association, Rob served as the Executive Director of the Adams County Library System in Gettysburg, PA and the Dauphin County Library System in Harrisburg, PA. As the Program Manager, Rob trains library workers in best practices in Literacy programming and sustains partnerships with statewide organizations also committed to literacy development.

Melanie Sampson is Program Director of the Clear Language Lab at Literacy Works, a Chicago-based non-profit. In her role, she supports mission-driven professionals in making everyday communications inclusive, understandable, and effective through a philosophy grounded in social justice. She also provides tailored plain language training across sectors that are designed to address unique needs of each organization. Melanie also works closely alongside community members, prioritizing their perspectives in creating materials such as flyers, slide decks, handbooks, and web content for nonprofit and government entities. She often incorporates key themes into her work including cultural humility, universal design, and trauma-informed care.

Sarah Glazer is Program Manager of the Clear Language Lab at Literacy Works, a Chicago-based non-profit. In her role, Sarah works with a wide range of organizations to create understandable, usable, and humanizing communications. She provides professional development through training facilitation, coaching, and materials review. Coming to this work from adult education, Sarah has seen how important clear communication is in the fight for justice and equity, and she enjoys sharing the communication strategies she's learned with others. Through this work, she hopes to challenge systemic injustice by making sure information is accessible and actionable for those who need it.

Diana Peña Gonzalez, MPH, MCHES, is the Health Literacy Education Director at the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). She has implemented programs nationally surrounding topics such as health insurance literacy, asthma, teen health, and oral health. She has provided training on health literacy best practices for community-based organizations through web-based or in-person settings. As the Health Literacy Education Director, Gonzalez leads content development for IHA’s Annual Health Literacy Conference. She oversees the rewrite and redesign consulting services offered at IHA and supervises membership engagement and content on the Health Literacy Solutions Center. She has earned her Masters in Public Health from Touro University and currently is a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University, School of Education. 

With over 20 years of experience, Jennifer brings an assorted spectrum of skills with her background working in health and wellness, community engagement, education, marketing, and event/program planning for corporations, non-profit organizations, and the public sector. Currently, she is working on initiatives that explore the intersection of arts in public health that positively influence health outcomes. She is also a research associate with the Interdisciplinary Research Lab at the Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida. 

Jennifer obtained her Master of Public Health in Community Health Education at the California State University, Northridge, and her Bachelor of Arts in Marketing/Music at San Francisco State University. She is also a certified yoga instructor, social emotional arts facilitator, and a Certified Health Education Specialist. As a lifelong learner and community connector, Jennifer is a member of the American Public Health Association, Society of Public Health Education, National Organization for Arts in Health, Social Prescribing USA, and the Arts Health Early Career Research Network in California. Additionally, she serves as the Los Angeles Chapter Chair for Sisters in Public Health. 

Dr. Elissa Donzis is at the forefront of neuroscience innovation as the CEO of Pluri Inc., where she leads the development of sophisticated algorithms designed to advance scientific laboratory research across diverse disciplines. With a solid foundation in Neuroscience and Biochemistry from Baylor University, complemented by a PhD in Cognition and Neuroscience and a Master's in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience from The University of Texas at Dallas, Dr. Donzis' expertise spans a broad range of neuroscientific inquiries. Her significant contributions to understanding memory formation, spatial navigation in the hippocampus, and the neuropathology of neurodegenerative diseases underscore her role as a distinguished neuroscientist. Dr. Donzis is passionate about the potential for scientific innovation to enrich public health education and literacy, bridging the gap between complex research and accessible, impactful health communication.

With over 20 years of experience, Jennifer brings an assorted spectrum of skills with her background working in health and wellness, community engagement, education, marketing, and event/program planning for corporations, non-profit organizations, and the public sector. Currently, she is working on initiatives that explore the intersection of arts in public health that positively influence health outcomes. She is also a research associate with the Interdisciplinary Research Lab at the Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida. 

Jennifer obtained her Master of Public Health in Community Health Education at the California State University, Northridge, and her Bachelor of Arts in Marketing/Music at San Francisco State University. She is also a certified yoga instructor, social emotional arts facilitator, and a Certified Health Education Specialist. As a lifelong learner and community connector, Jennifer is a member of the American Public Health Association, Society of Public Health Education, National Organization for Arts in Health, Social Prescribing USA, and the Arts Health Early Career Research Network in California. Additionally, she serves as the Los Angeles Chapter Chair for Sisters in Public Health. 

Dr. Elissa Donzis is at the forefront of neuroscience innovation as the CEO of Pluri Inc., where she leads the development of sophisticated algorithms designed to advance scientific laboratory research across diverse disciplines. With a solid foundation in Neuroscience and Biochemistry from Baylor University, complemented by a PhD in Cognition and Neuroscience and a Master's in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience from The University of Texas at Dallas, Dr. Donzis' expertise spans a broad range of neuroscientific inquiries. Her significant contributions to understanding memory formation, spatial navigation in the hippocampus, and the neuropathology of neurodegenerative diseases underscore her role as a distinguished neuroscientist. Dr. Donzis is passionate about the potential for scientific innovation to enrich public health education and literacy, bridging the gap between complex research and accessible, impactful health communication.

Diana Peña Gonzalez, MPH, MCHES, is the Health Literacy Education Director at the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). She has implemented programs nationally surrounding topics such as health insurance literacy, asthma, teen health, and oral health. She has provided training on health literacy best practices for community-based organizations through web-based or in-person settings. As the Health Literacy Education Director, Gonzalez leads content development for IHA’s Annual Health Literacy Conference. She oversees the rewrite and redesign consulting services offered at IHA and supervises membership engagement and content on the Health Literacy Solutions Center. She has earned her Masters in Public Health from Touro University and currently is a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University, School of Education. 

Stan Hudson is director of professional development and training for the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). Prior to joining IHA, he was health literacy director for Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. He is a health literacy expert and health policy analyst with nearly 25 years of experience in health services research and more than 15 years of experience in health literacy with a focus on curriculum development. 

Over the last 2 decades, Hudson has led the development and implementation of health literacy and health equity education programs and curricula for health professionals and communities. For the past 3 years, he has been working on an extensive project to improve prescription medication labels in Wisconsin, making them easier to understand to increase adherence and reduce medication errors.

Rachel Roberts is the Community Health Engagement & Strategy Manager at the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). Rachel attended California State University, Long Beach where she received a Bachelor of Science in Health Science and Master of Public Health with an emphasis in community health education. 

Rachel’s public health career includes collaborating with healthcare professions and clinicians to design programs that improve community health and well-being. In addition to program planning, Rachel has taught programs related to women’s health, cardiovascular health, and diabetes in clinical and community-based settings including the Orange County Health Care Agency, Mission Hospital’s Camino Health Center, and the American Diabetes Association. 

At IHA, Rachel’s primary focus is improving low health literacy through professional development opportunities and community engagement efforts. She manages the Health Literacy Specialist Certificate that encompasses seven domains and assists with organizational health literacy projects to address the needs of residents in Orange County. In addition to her work at IHA, Rachel has been a faculty member at California State University, Fullerton since 2005 where she teaches in the Public Health and Kinesiology departments. 

Brian DeGeer is dedicated to improving healthcare quality through justice and supporting people to have self-determination in their own care. He started his career working for a domestic violence program, where he realized his eagerness for improving systems and organizations to better meet the needs of the people receiving services. He received his Masters in Public Health from the University of Georgia and spent time at the CDC building skills in program evaluation, policy analysis, and quality improvement. After returning to Southern California, Brian focused on applying public health principles in a healthcare context. His sense of urgency around improving organization health literacy is rooted in a deep understanding of how important it is for health systems to be good stewards of the people they provide care to. 

Michael Villaire, MSLM, is Chairman and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Advancement, a healthcare nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to empowering people to better health, with a major mission emphasis on health literacy and health equity.

Mr. Villaire has written numerous articles on various aspects of health literacy, and lectures nationally on health literacy. He is co-author of the textbook, Health Literacy in Primary Care- A Clinicians Guide, published by Springer in 2007, and the self-help health book, What To Do When Your Child Is Heavy, published by IHA in 2009.

As its CEO, Mr. Villaire leads IHAs health literacy initiatives:

• The IHA Health Literacy Solutions Center
• The Health Literacy Specialist Certificate Program
• Two national, annual, continuing education conferences: Operational Solutions to Improve Health Literacy, and the co-sponsored Health Literacy in Action conference
• IHAs self-help health book series, What To Do For Health, and the micro-pub series on mental health, and one on managing chronic illnesses
• Health Literacy Research and Practice, an online, peer-reviewed, open access journal in health literacy.

Dr. Allen-Meares is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. She served as co-chair for Section 10 and on several committees including the Nominations Committee and Improving Health Outcomes for Children with Disabilities Committee. She served as the Chancellor at the University of Illinois at Chicago until 2015. Currently, Dr. Allen-Meares has appointments in the UIC College of Medicine and School of Public Health and serves as the Executive Director of the UIC Office of Health Literacy. In the past few years, Dr. Paula Allen-Meares has facilitated health literacy training through several federally funded grant projects.

Alana Biggers, MD, MPH, FACP is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine where she received her MD degree. She obtained her MPH in chronic disease epidemiology and completed a research fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Biggers has interests in health disparity research and achieving health equity. She was awarded an NIH K01 award for a project involving African Americans with type 2 diabetes. Additionally, Dr. Biggers enjoys teaching residents and students on best practices in urban health and providing medical care for underserved populations.

Carolyn Dickens, PhD is the UIC Associate Dean for Practice and Community Partnerships in the College of Nursing and a nurse practitioner working with heart failure patients. Her research interests focus on health care utilization of heart failure patients and developing effective strategies for improving care and lowering health care costs. She has 20 years clinical experience working with low socioeconomic minority patients. Carolyn Dickens PHD dissertation was on the topic of health literacy. Her study utilized a mixed methods study to examine the socio-demographic factors affecting the health care utilization of heart failure patients who have low socioeconomic status.

Dr. Garcia-Bedoya is the Medical Director of the Chicago Field Center for the Hispanic Community Health Study/ Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), the largest NIH-funded multi-center observational study of the health of US Hispanics/ Latinos to date. She is also an Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Illinois Chicago. She has developed a keen interest in identifying, learning, and addressing barriers that prevent minority groups from obtaining optimal care. She has engaged extensively in community outreach programs at both the local and international levels. As a physician, Dr. Garcia-Bedoyas focus is cultural-medicine -researching the intersection of health and culture.

Dr. Suarez-Balcazar is a Professor and former chair in the Department of Occupational Therapy as well as Disability and Human Development for the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. A recipient of federal grants, Dr. Suarez-Balcazar’s research expands across several interrelated areas at the nexus of race, culture, health disparities, and disability. Trained in community psychology and community-based participatory research, she has been a principal investigator or co-principal investigator on several research grants to understand and address health disparities experienced by people of color with disabilities, in particular, Latinos.

Saul is a health literacy consultant for Advocate Health. He has worked nationally and internationally with diverse teams in healthcare and ministerial settings.  His strengths include training in plain language, implementing initiatives with a health literacy focus, and cross-cultural communication.

Bethany Howell, MSN, RN, NPD-BC is a member of the Clinical Education department at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, and has led patient education efforts as the Patient Education Coordinator for 12 years. She earned her MSN in Nursing Education from East Carolina University. As a Patient Education Coordinator, she facilitates the development of health literate patient education resources to meet the clinical needs of patient populations for multiple health care facilities. She serves as a liaison to the clinical team to educate and develop workflows that ensure effective patient education delivery, documentation, and access through technology or other delivery modalities.

Dr. Lindsay Rosenfeld is a social epidemiologist with research, practice, and policy interests in health literacy, the social and structural determinants of health, early childhood, and families with children with complex needs. She has taught extensively in higher education (e.g. public health, health equity), including two yearly courses in Health Literacy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She leads research inquiries at academic institutions and guides organizations and programs across the country to implement best practice in systems change, grounded in organizational health literacy and health equity frameworks. She is a longtime member of the American Dental Association’s Health Literacy in Dentistry Committee and an expert health literacy advisor at the Institute for Healthcare Advancement. She is also the parent of two former micro-preemies (now 6th graders), each with their own complex developmental and medical journey.

Samuel Mendez is a PhD candidate in the department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Their dissertation focuses on integrating computational methods and media studies frameworks into health literacy research. Their goal is to expand the scale and scope of health literacy research methods to help improve online health communication.

Jennifer Anne Bishop, ScD, MPH serves the Director of the Division of Health Promotion and Communication for the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Dr. Bishop has over 24 years of experience working in health communication, health policy, and program evaluation in the federal government, and is an instructor at the Johns Hopkins University’s Masters in Communication Program.

Cathy Leslie, PhD, OTR/L, is the Director of Clinical Services at Thom Child & Family Services, a large Early Intervention (EI) agency in Massachusetts with 650 multidisciplinary EI providers serving about 10,000 infants, toddlers and caregivers a year. She is a pediatric occupational therapist, researcher, health literacy expert and consultant, and previous Assistant Professor at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston. Her areas of focus in research and practice in the EI setting include applying organizational health literacy and incorporating evidence-based practice to support health equity and improve outcomes for infants and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays and their families.

Dr. Rima Rudd, now Emerita, had been a member of the faculty in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for over 30 years. Her research and teaching in health literacy focused on health disparities and barriers to health information, programs, and care. One of the founders of and leaders in health literacy studies, Dr. Rudd drafted the first national call to action, served on the original Institute of Medicine Health Literacy Committee, and has written and contributed to multiple health policy reports, white papers, and research studies. She is helping broaden the notion of health literacy with attention numeracy, to the communication skills of health professionals, to the challenges inherent in health-related tasks, and to the barriers and facilitating factors in health institutions and systems. She serves as advisor for several non-profit health literacy organizations and continues to be engaged in research and policy projects.  

Misty Paschall is the research and evaluation associate for the UAMS Center for Health Literacy, leading efforts in collaborative research, quality improvement, and programmatic data management. Previous employment includes leadership roles with Arkansas Department of Health, University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM). Misty’s education includes a bachelor's degree in speech communication from UAM; a master's degree in adult education from UALR; and a master's degree in public health and tropical medicine from Tulane University. She completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is a certified health education specialist (CHES®).

Katie Leath is a health communicator with experience making health information easy to read, understand, and use. She leads health literacy and plain language experts at the UAMS Center for Health Literacy to help create health-related materials for patients and consumers. Before joining UAMS Center for Health Literacy, Katie worked in administration, communications, research, and evaluation. Katie earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Central Arkansas. She graduated with honors from UAMS with a master's degree in public health and from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a master's degree in applied communication studies.

Somkene Igboanugo is a public health consultant; medical doctor; and equity, diversity, and inclusion advocate. He serves as Capacity Building Coordinator for Patient Education and Engagement at the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada, with expertise in health literacy and health systems navigation. His doctoral dissertation focused on psychosocial stress and its effects on health among firefighters.

Dr. Melanie Stone is an Assistant Professor of Family; Community Medicine at UT Health San Antonio's Long School of Medicine and the Director of Community Service Learning at the Center for Medical Humanities; Ethics.  This innovative program promotes student and faculty engagement with community organizations in conducting service projects which benefit medically underserved populations in Texas. She enjoys integrating a public health focus into an academic health science center. Her expertise is health literacy.  She provides health literacy training for the current and future health care professional workforce, as well as designing and researching organizational health literacy programs.

Dr. Yolande Pengetnze is a Pediatrician and Physician Scientist, with over 20-year experience in innovative, data-driven, patient-oriented healthcare solutions that measurably impact community health equity and consumer experience. She leads multidisciplinary teams to design, implement, and evaluate innovative solutions, leveraging data insights and intuitive technology to improve community wellbeing and eliminate health disparities among low-income, vulnerable populations.

Dr. Wagner is a registered and licensed dietitian with a doctorate in public health. She’s certified in Public Health, Patient Safety, Lifestyle Medicine, Health Coaching, and a certified Community Health Worker (CHW) Instructor. Dr. Wagner currently oversees the state patient safety institute, SaferCare Texas. She’s an associate professor in the School of Public Health and the School of Health Professions at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Dr. Wagner is a sought-after presenter and mentor whose research focuses on alleviating health disparities in underserved communities through health and nutrition literacy to improve population health frequently leveraging CHWs.

Elizabeth Li (she/her) is an IHA-certified Health Literacy Specialist with 5 years of experience in pediatric care. She uses health literacy best practices to create patient education products that enhance patient care, optimize practitioner workflow, and support organization DEI initiatives. Elizabeth integrates evidence-based health literacy best practices with her design and tech experience, creating tools like accessible booklets, brochures, apps, and videos. She aspires to bridge the knowledge gap between patients and providers by designing education that enables equitable and holistic care. Making information accessible to all families through the prism of health literacy is her passion.

Jenny Shaffer (she/her) is the manager of patient and family education and has a doctorate of nursing practice with 22 years of experience in pediatrics. She is passionate about health literacy, patient/family education, and providing families with the appropriate resources and support.

Hizuru Humbert (she/her) is a marketing design manager with 13 years of experience in branding and 10 years in healthcare design. She and her team designs everything from vehicles to print and digital advertising to interactive signage. Hizuru has a BFA in graphic design from San Jose State University, a BA in Sociology from the UC, Santa Cruz, is certified as a PMP and IHA Health Literacy Specialist and is currently working on her MBA in Healthcare from Northern Arizona University.

Diana Peña Gonzalez, MPH, MCHES, is the Health Literacy Education Director at the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). She has implemented programs nationally surrounding topics such as health insurance literacy, asthma, teen health, and oral health. She has provided training on health literacy best practices for community-based organizations through web-based or in-person settings. As the Health Literacy Education Director, Gonzalez leads content development for IHA’s Annual Health Literacy Conference. She oversees the rewrite and redesign consulting services offered at IHA and supervises membership engagement and content on the Health Literacy Solutions Center. She has earned her Masters in Public Health from Touro University and currently is a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University, School of Education. 

Michael Villaire, MSLM, is Chairman and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Advancement, a healthcare nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to empowering people to better health, with a major mission emphasis on health literacy and health equity.

Mr. Villaire has written numerous articles on various aspects of health literacy, and lectures nationally on health literacy. He is co-author of the textbook, Health Literacy in Primary Care- A Clinicians Guide, published by Springer in 2007, and the self-help health book, What To Do When Your Child Is Heavy, published by IHA in 2009.

As its CEO, Mr. Villaire leads IHAs health literacy initiatives:

• The IHA Health Literacy Solutions Center
• The Health Literacy Specialist Certificate Program
• Two national, annual, continuing education conferences: Operational Solutions to Improve Health Literacy, and the co-sponsored Health Literacy in Action conference
• IHAs self-help health book series, What To Do For Health, and the micro-pub series on mental health, and one on managing chronic illnesses
• Health Literacy Research and Practice, an online, peer-reviewed, open access journal in health literacy.

Lucia is a nurse passionate about patient-centered care and advancement of health literacy. After earning her master's in Nursing degree from the University of Toronto, she transitioned from bedside to leadership roles in several large, tertiary healthcare organizations in Canada. During her career focused on oncology nursing, Lucia presented at national and international conferences and co-authored two peer-reviewed articles. Lucia's commitment to advancing health literacy led her to her current role as a Patient Education Integration Manager at The Ottawa Hospital. In this role, she is systematically advancing organizational health literacy to empower every patient to become an engaged partner in their care.

Dr. Bilkis Banu is working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health, at Northern University Bangladesh. Her educational qualifications are MSc (DU), MPH (NSU), PhD (Heidelberg University, Germany). Nationally and internationally she was awarded for innovation in public health education, research grants, fellowships, and conference grants. She achieved the best presenter awards in different conferences. She has more than 40 journal publications, 2 book publications, and more than 50 conference presentations both in national and international platforms. She was equipped to organize and facilitate more than 25 training programs, >60 workshops, >20 symposiums, and several awareness programs including the development of innovative awareness materials. Her research expertise is in the area of non-communicable diseases, diabetes, health education, health promotion, maternal health, and child health.

Kristen Gosse is Carrot's educational content designer and strategist. With more than a decade of experience developing perinatal and parenting health education materials and over 20 years as a professional writer, she's focused her career on applying health literacy, adult learning theory, and the psychology of motivation to patient resources and other learning/user experiences. She has a Master's Degree in adult education and program planning and is a CAPPA-certified new parent educator.

Marjorie Morrison is the Director of Policy & Advocacy at Lymphoma Coalition, a worldwide network of patient organizations that support those affected by lymphoma. Marjorie has previously held senior leadership roles in health charities for more than twenty years where she focused primarily on the implementation of national cancer strategies, improvement of patient engagement in cancer control, and advancement of population-based research of therapeutic interventions to improve the health of Canadians. Marjorie holds a Master of Health Administration from the University of Regina and is based in Alberta, Canada.

Melissa is a NYS Licensed Social Worker. Melissa leads the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention & Outreach team at the Center for Prevention & Outreach for Stony Brook University, the #1 ranked public university in New York by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education. Melissa received her Master's in social work at The School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University and has been working with children, teens and young adults for over 10 years from a trauma-informed perspective.

Lucia is a nurse passionate about patient-centered care and advancement of health literacy. After earning her Master's in Nursing degree from the University of Toronto, she transitioned from bedside to leadership roles in several large, tertiary healthcare organizations in Canada. During her career focused on oncology nursing, Lucia presented at national and international conferences and co-authored two peer-reviewed articles. Lucia's commitment to advancing health literacy led her to her current role as a Patient Education Integration Manager at The Ottawa Hospital. In this role, she is systematically advancing organizational health literacy to empower every patient to become an engaged partner in their care.

Becky's experience in the biopharmaceutical industry is in healthcare communications and clinical trial recruitment with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. In her current role, Becky leads the clinical trial recruitment function at SPARC, a biopharmaceutical company. Prior to joining SPARC, Becky held several positions within IQVIA’s patient recruitment team where she most recently leveraged her expertise to inform the strategic direction of initiatives and advised pharmaceutical sponsor teams with their efforts to reach their clinical trial diversity and inclusion goals. Becky has a Master’s in Public Health and a PhD in Health Sciences.

Dr. Michelle Lee DAbundo is an Associate Professor of Health Science at Seton Hall University in the School of Health and Medical Sciences. Dr. D’Abundo conducts research on quality of life, leadership, teaching and learning, individual and organizational change, well-being, promotion of mindfulness, and physical activity. Dr. DAbundo is committed to the promotion of lifespan well-being through leadership, strategic change, community development, and social justice.

Dr. Michelle Lee DAbundo is an Associate Professor of Health Science at Seton Hall University in the School of Health and Medical Sciences. Dr. D’Abundo conducts research on quality of life, leadership, teaching and learning, individual and organizational change, well-being, promotion of mindfulness, and physical activity. Dr. DAbundo is committed to the promotion of lifespan well-being through leadership, strategic change, community development, and social justice.

Vanessa Rodriguez, Ed.D., PA-C, is an Assistant Professor at Seton Hall University. She has practiced as a healthcare provider and health professions educator. Her areas of interest are social determinants of health, physical activity, and public health. She is dedicated to educating the public on opportunities for improving their health and well-being.

Patricia West-Low, PT, MA, DPT, PCS has been a physical therapist for 30 years. She earned a Bachelor's in Physical Therapy from The University of Scranton, an Advanced Masters Degree from New York University and a Doctoral Degree from Seton Hall University. Dr. West-Low is also a board certified pediatric specialist and a certified yoga and meditation instructor with over 500 hours of training, She teaches across the county, at the university and post professional levels, on the topics of Therapeutic Yoga for Special Populations, Physical Therapy Examination and Treatment of Children with Autism, Connective Tissue Mobilization.

Edeia Lynch is an advocate for community health and wellness. She obtained her BS in Public Health with a minor in Women's Studies at East Carolina University. She started her career working as a Wellness Leader educating her peers. There she was the 2017 recipient of the International Women's Day Award to lead a Women's Health campaign. She has since worked at community health centers and taught English in Madrid, Spain. After years of being away from home, she is happy to be doing what she is most passionate about, working to improve the health of historically marginalized people.

I am the Health Literacy Program Coordinator for LATIN-19, in charge of developing material in Spanish and English to reach the comunidad Latina and other populations that have been historically marginalized in Durham, develop and test critical messages, organize community-based and virtual events to share health information, participate in the dissemination of health information, develop materials, videos, pictures, and pamphlets to decrease the risk of contracting, being hospitalized and dying from COVID-19.

My main goal is to improve the messaging from local public health departments and government to the marginalized population in Durham County by organically using my bilingual skills, health care experience, and mostly my passion for serving the community.

Experienced business and education leader with over 18 years of success in project management, resource allocation, and customer-focused initiatives. A goal-oriented, enthusiastic, and detail-oriented professional, known for analytical thinking and creative problem-solving. Demonstrates authenticity and consistently achieves objectives, leveraging excellent interpersonal, communication, and writing skills. Proficient in leadership, project management, Microsoft 365 applications, coaching, negotiation, and organizational skills. Holds certifications in Healthcare Education and Microsoft Innovative Education. Accomplishments include leading instructional design teams, creating engaging learning content, and contributing to the development of effective performance solutions. A doctoral student in Learning Technology with a commitment to professional and civic engagement. Active member of the International Society for Performance Improvement and Emotional Intelligence Training Research Institute.

Vivian Tat is pursuing an MPH in Epidemiology and a Ph.D. in Experimental Pathology at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). In addition, she is a co-founder and co-lead of Taking Our Best Shot (TOBS). Vivian believes in ensuring that everyone should have the opportunity to pursue their happiest and healthiest lives. After graduating from Friendswood High School, she completed a B.S. in Public Health and an Evidence and Inquiry certificate as a Polymathic Honors Scholar at The University of Texas at Austin. The TOBS team has been awarded an Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Houston-Galveston.

As community co-lead of Taking Our Best Shot, Nathan Tat is eager to explore and contribute to interdisciplinary approaches for bettering the world. Nathan’s interest in learning was sparked early on via summer STEM camps. At Rice University, he earned degrees in Economics and Space Studies. Nathan strongly supports educational outreach and has spoken to multiple schools. He has received various awards, such as "20 Under 35" in the space industry, "40 Under 40" with The Daily News, and HOSA International Leadership Conference Medalist. For hobbies, Nathan enjoys visiting the beach, playing piano, and being with family and friends.

Abhijit Rao is a current fourth-year MD/MPH student at the University of Texas Medical Branch John Sealy School of Medicine and the School of Public and Population Health. He is a current chair of the St. Vincent’s Student-Run Clinic in Galveston, TX and has several years of experience planning health fairs and engaging in community outreach as a co-lead of Taking Our Best Shot. Abhi is currently applying to internal medicine-pediatrics residency and hopes to use his public health background to further community coalitions across the United States and around the world.

I am currently a PhD candidate at Institute of Public Health at United Arab Emirates University. My thesis topic is " Perinatal Mental Health Literacy in the UAE. I have 5 years of experience teaching and developing a secondary school health literacy program. Previously, I taught in the Nursing program at Fatima College of Health Sciences.

Dr. Shiloh Williams is an Assistant Professor with San Diego State University's School of Nursing. Dr. Williams is a nurse researcher focused on addressing health disparities in rural-border populations, particularly as it relates to the role of Health Literacy in supporting patient-engaged and patient-centered care. Her background as a registered nurse, healthcare leader, and nurse scientist includes experience in healthcare administration and use of high impact educational practices in diverse populations. Her expertise has supported the development of several regional community-academic partnerships focused on addressing the health needs of diverse, rural communities through innovative and sustainable change.

Dr. Helina Hoyt has been engaged in creating academic and research pathways within rural regions for over 17 years. She has a clinical background in critical care, community health, and school nursing. Her research background includes creating a "bottom-up approach" to community driven-academic responsive research. She blends her roles as teacher, scholar, and community servant to foster multi-sector, multidisciplinary research to reduce health disparities. She currently serves as Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the College of Nursing at the University of Oklahoma.

Lee Holland, PharmD, MPH is the Associate Director, Plain Language Summaries at Certara. Her work includes creating plain language documents to increase health literacy around clinical trials. Lee has been a freelance patient and caregiver advocate for 20 years, having lost both her mother-in-law and husband to pancreatic cancer. During the early days of the pandemic, she volunteered in a Facebook group to provide her community with accurate information. Prior to joining Certara, Lee was the Inaugural Research Fellow at Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) in Alexandria, Virginia. While there, Lee was involved in research into medication access and healthcare quality.

Angie Sun, MD, manages a team of regulatory writers and leads client projects. She has over 8 years of experience in writing and editing clinical and safety documents across various therapeutic indications. With a background in healthcare, she is particularly interested in writing patient-facing documents that help to empower patients to take a more active role in their health. Angie holds a Doctor of Medicine degree (Philippines). She also holds a Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS) certification.

Thu Tran is a proud Vietnamese American born in Vietnam and resides in Santa Ana, CA. Thu is currently a Program Manager at a non-profit organization in Orange County that helps Vietnamese immigrants to navigate and utilize community health resources. She has led various health programs to help increase the knowledge and awareness of health for Orange County residents to ensure their well-being through culturally competent outreach, mental health prevention, developmental disability services, and informational dissemination on COVID-19 and flu vaccination. With her Master's in Public Health, she focuses on reducing the health disparities in the Vietnamese community and aims to serve the community with a passion.

My name is Kimmi Phan and I am a Program Coordinator at Boat People SOS (BPSOS). Throughout my professional journey, I've dedicated myself to working closely with communities. At BPSOS, I play a role in coordinating programs aimed at enhancing community wellness services. Additionally, I collaborate with other community-based organizations to improve overall community well-being and actively engage in public health and education outreach efforts