Hi Everyone,
As you may know, the LINCS Communities of Practice are transitioning to a new model of moderating the groups. You can read about the transition in this recent announcement: Welcoming Our New Community Leaders.
What it means for the Health Literacy Group is that, instead of having a Subject Matter Expert (SME), we will have a Moderator. I am very pleased to welcome Cynthia Zafft as your new moderator! I have worked with Cynthia for years, and can tell you that she is fantastic in every way. She is well-versed and highly experienced in both health literacy and adult education, she is a creative and conscientious thinker, and a very welcoming and caring person. You are in good hands!
While I am stepping down from a formal role in this Community, I will continue to stay in touch with this group and support the relationship between health literacy and adult education in any way I can.
All the best,
Julie
P.S. In the next few days, I'll post a few more of the resource highlights I promised earlier!
Comments
Greetings and thank you for that introduction, Julie.
First of all, I want to thank Julie for her long service and continuing participation in this community and others -- keeping us all up-to-date on resources available from the diverse health literacy field. Julie and I have worked together in the past, most intensively for five years on hybrid, contextualized courses for frontline healthcare workers interested in pursuing challenging postsecondary health career programs. Each step of that journey was a new learning experience for us and then for our students. Julie’s encouraging style and professional wisdom were key to finding the balance that cheered students on and challenged students to move ahead.
When I was in nursing school, long ago (in a galaxy nearby yet far, far away), patient and family teaching involved reviewing a handout, if available, or copying pictures out of my nursing textbooks. I would have to say that patients and families went home less confused than they are now, but with very little information about their condition and treatment. Now, all of us are bombarded with information about our health and wellness and complex healthcare system. It’s confusing and challenging for everyone!
Contributing your experiences and professional wisdom helps all of us examine this problem for and with our adult learners, fellow practitioners, and health professionals. The LINCS Health Literacy Resource Collection provides additional support in the form of teaching resources, research briefs, and more. The LINCS Regional Professional Development Centers are there for us, too, with ongoing professional development.
As I get to know my role as “moderator,” I hope you will let me know what interests and concerns you. And, I promise, this is the longest post you will read from me!
Stay in touch…stay tuned,
Cynthia Zafft