Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Teresa Wagner, DrPH, associate professor in the College of Public Health at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, collaborated with interprofessional colleagues on a national health literacy statement on behalf of the National Academies of Practice.
Teresa Wagner, DrPHThe National Academies of Practice is a nonprofit interprofessional organization that advocates for improved health care. The academy has recognized Wagner as a leading expert in health literacy both nationally and internationally. She currently serves as the vice president of the U.S. Health Literacy Association and is a board member for the International Health Literacy Association. Wagner is also an NAP Registered Dietitian Distinguished Fellow and the incoming chair-elect for the Registered Dietitian Academy.
In previous years, the organization has released statements on topics ranging from well-being to safe access to care to telehealth services. The May 2025 position statement is the first to call for improved health literacy—and effort to help patients make informed decisions that lead to increased engagement and adherence to treatment plans.
This statement was developed with the support of Kate Taylor, DNP, assistant dean of clinical and outreach affairs in the UNTHSC College of Nursing, who served as co-chair of the NAP Health Communication and Literacy Subcommittee. The committee’s role is to advance the NAP’s operational objectives, including support for the Leading Health Indicators of Healthy People 2030. Their shared priorities include focusing on interprofessional collaboration, actionable health literacy practices and preparing their findings for presentation and dissemination.
“Collaborating with Dr. Wagner is always a valuable experience,” Taylor said.
The two UNTHSC faculty members have collaborated on several initiatives that connect Wagner’s expertise in health literacy with Taylor’s expertise in nursing and older adult care.
“For this statement, she brought both depth and clarity to the work, especially in shaping language that reflects current challenges in digital and organizational health literacy,” Taylor said. “Her insight helped ensure the statement had both substance and reach.”
In May, Wagner and several health literacy leaders from across the country launched the U.S. Health Literacy Association an organization advocating for health-literate health care to give people across the nation the power to make informed health decisions. Wagner currently serves as president-elect.
USHLA will hold its first in-person meeting during the 2026 Health Literacy Collaborative Summit that Wagner is hosting at the UNTHSC campus on April 23-24, 2026.
“Improving health literacy is a shared responsibility that demands interprofessional collaboration across all sectors of healthcare,” Wagner said. “By uniting our diverse expertise, we empower patients to make informed decisions, leading to better outcomes, stronger engagement and truly patient-centered care.”
From HSC Newsroom - Our People by Maya McMillian