Health Literacy at Rutgers

Photo: Health care professional advising clients.Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension offers health literacy training sessions to health professionals in New Jersey, across the United States and internationally. These programs can be tailored for a wide variety of health settings, from public health to clinical medicine.

Topics addressed can include:

  • Introduction to health literacy
  • The state of literacy and health literacy in the U.S.
  • Plain language material development
  • Community engagement strategies
  • Recognizing and communicating across cultures
  • Simulated patient exercises
  • Successfully communicating science

Additionally, faculty members are actively involved in numerous health literacy interventions and research projects. The goals of this work are to improve health literacy skills, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system, strengthen individuals and communities to make better decisions about their health, improve health for all, and reduce disparities in health.

Learn more about health literacy.


  1. Rutgers
  2. Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  3. School of Environmental and Biological Sciences