What Did You Say Vs. What Did You Mean

In an era of “fake news” when the majority of our clientele are getting nutrition and food information online from unreliable sources, nutrition educators need to effectively communicate evidence-based information and break through the noise. This introduction to health literacy and clear communication is a free preview of the workshop series planned by the Food Nutrition Extension Education Division. These sessions will teach educators essential skills to communicate evidence-based messaging to diverse underserved audiences. 

About the Presenters

Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi, M.Ed., Tufts University School of Medicine and Principal of Kurtz-Rossi & Associates [Trainer #1]

Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi, M.Ed., is Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and Director of the Health Literacy Leadership Institute. She is also Principal of Kurtz-Rossi & Associates, a women-owned business offering health, literacy, education, and evaluation services, and an internationally recognized health literacy specialist integrating health and literacy education, enhancing patient-provider communication, and developing plain language health education resources to reach diverse audiences. 

Ms. Kurtz-Rossi’s health literacy study and practice focuses on teaching in the community and training health professionals. She received the 2016 Health Literacy Teaching Award from the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR) for her work with health professions students. In 2017, she received an Innovations in Diversity Education Award from the Deans Office at Tufts University School of Medicine to exam online discussion as an instruction as an instructional methods for teaching health literacy and cultural humility.  She was honored in 2018 by the Asian Health Literacy Association for her work to establish the International Health Literacy Association (IHLA) in support of professionals all over the world working to improve health literacy.  IHLA is presently planning the first ever global health literacy summit which is scheduled for 2021

Elena T. Carbone, DrPH, RD, LDN, FAND, University of Massachusetts Amherst [Trainer #2]

Dr. Carbone has over 25 years of experience in health education and nutrition communications. Her mixed methods research engages multi-ethnic communities with low health literacy skills and integrates behavioral interventions to promote health and prevent chronic disease complications.  She has served as Principle Investigator (PI) of numerous community-based research studies. Most recently she was PI of a maternal health literacy grant with colleagues from Ghana, Australia, England and the US. She has just published a co-authored text book chapter entitled, Reintegrate Empowerment & Health Literacy to Advance Public Health and Healthcare Delivery (IOS Press, 2020).

Dr. Carbone is a Registered Dietitian and Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is Professor and Chair of Department of Nutrition at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She also serves as Co-Chair of the International Health Literacy Association’s Standing Committee on Policy & Advocacy and the UMass Amherst representative on the WorldWide University Network’s Public Health Steering Group. She has served as an Editorial Committee member of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior and the Journal of Nutritional Disorders & Therapy.  Dr. Carbone is also Founding Director of the Community-Engaged Research Program at the Commonwealth Honors College and she been an Advisory Board Member and Instructor at the Gustolab Institute Center for Food and Culture in Rome, Italy since 2012.

Education Benefits

Participants of this webinar will receive 1 CEU for live attendance. The webinar provides information on the following:

SNEB Nutrition Educator Competencies

• 9.3     Engage and educate through simple, clear, and motivational language appropriate for diverse audiences.
• 8.7     Design or select strategies, activities and materials that match the objectives and are appropriate for diverse audiences.
• 1.8      Critically evaluate the source of materials that provide nutrition information.

CDR Performance Indicators

• 2.1.3 Tailors message to meet the needs of the target audience
• 2.1.7 Delivers information and opinions in a respectful and professional manner.
• 2.1.6 Evaluates the effectiveness of the communication.
• 9.4.6 Uses socially and culturally appropriate strategies in order to respect diverse cultures and values.

CDR Learning Need Codes

• 6050 Instructional materials development