About Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L
I know firsthand the challenges of communicating healthcare information.
- As an occupational therapist, I treated many patients with limited literacy and language skills as well as those who were older, from other cultures, or had trouble hearing, seeing, and remembering.
- As a department manager, I know what it is like to run patient education programs with not enough time, money, staff, or other needed resources.
- And as a patient and family member, I am well aware of how hard it is to listen and remember when feeling scared, sick, and overwhelmed.
Health literacy is my way of making a difference. As president of Health Literacy Consulting, I help organizations communicate health information in ways patients, families, and employees can understand. I do this through health literacy workshops and presentations, plain language writing and editing services, and numerous resources including a free e-newsletter, articles, books, and CDs. I am also the founder of Health Literacy Month - a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the importance of understandable health information.
Significant Accomplishments:
- President of Health Literacy Consulting, started in 1996
- Founder of Health Literacy Month, started in 1999
- Author of four books: Health Literacy Handbook: The Event Planning Guide for Health Literacy Advocates (2007); Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message (Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2004); Partnering with Patients To Improve Health Outcomes (Aspen Publishers, 2002); and Overcoming Communication Barriers in Patient Education (Aspen Publishers, 2001).
- Columnist for the Boston Globe's On Call magazine, since 1999
- Producer and host of Health Literacy Out Loud, a series of audio interviews
- Recipient of numerous awards including: Will Solimene Award for Excellence in Biomedical Communication from the New England Chapter of the American Medical Writers Association; Visiting Lecturer in Health Literacy from Pfizer Inc; and five National Health Information Plain Language Awards from the National Institute for Health.
Professional Affiliations:
- AMWA (American Medical Writers Association)
- LANES (League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling)
- NSA (National Speakers Association)
- NSANE (New England chapter of NSA)
- PLAIN (Plain Language Association International)
Education:
- Master of Education in Humanistic and Behavioral Studies, Boston University
- Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy, Tufts University
To learn more, please visit the other pages of this Health Literacy Consulting website. You also can email me at Helen@healthliteracy.com or call 508-653-1199.
