Join Health@CLRC and the Upstate Health Sciences Library for a morning of Health Literacy information! The session will include a book talk followed by continuing education.

9:30 to 10:30 a.m.: Book Talk with Julia Soplop, author of Information Crisis 

Book Description

The rapid and ubiquitous spread of information has failed to remedy one of humanity’s most enduring challenges: making accurate sense of the world. Instead, a constellation of factors influencing how we interact with information—and, in particular, scientific information—has prevented us from digesting and adequately confronting many of the greatest problems of our time, from climate change to pandemics.

The book, an essential read for non-scientists and scientists alike, offers both an analysis of this burgeoning crisis of (mis)information overload and a practical guide for navigating it. Soplop argues that becoming a more discerning and less vulnerable consumer, or producer, of health and science information is critical.

Soplop has created an indispensable primer for reimagining how we think about and communicate what science really entails, including its profound social value and its many limitations. She also presents a series of engaging case studies—the decades-long disinformation campaign to sow doubt in climate change, the schemes in the wellness industry, the push for pseudoscience in the science classroom, the century-old rhetoric of the anti-vaccination movement, and the nation’s unfathomable COVID-19 response—demonstrating how players across society employ common, and therefore easily identifiable, tactics of distorting scientific information to manipulate us for power and profit. In vivid prose, Soplop crafts a compelling and hopeful case that building a stronger foundation of science and media literacy can empower us to improve our lives both personally and collectively.

Author Bio

Julia Soplop is a science writer and the author of Information Crisis: How a Better Understanding of Science Can Help Us Face the Greatest Problems of Our Time, Equus Rising: How the Horse Shaped U.S. History (winner of an Independent Book Publisher (IPPY) Award and a Feathered Quill Book Award), and Documenting Your World Through Photography. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including National Geographic, Summit Daily News, and Skiing. She also develops thought leadership for organizations that address issues of scientific, social, or technological concern. She holds a bachelor’s from Duke University and a master’s from the medical journalism program at UNC-Chapel Hill. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, three daughters, and their pandemic rescue pup. You can visit her online here.

The first 200 registrants will receive a physical copy of Information Crisis.

10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.: 4 Tools for Assessing Health Education Materials

Description

How do you know if health education materials are easy-to-read? This 2-hour webinar provides an overview of 4 free tools you can use to assess health education material. We’ll discuss the key elements, differences, and similarities of Clear Communications Index (CCI), Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM), Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT), and NLM’s Health Education Materials Assessment Tool (HEMAT). Learners will use NLM’s HEMAT to evaluate health education material in an exploratory exercise.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the benefits of assessing health education materials
• Identify the key elements, differences, and similarities of 4 health education material assessment tools: Clear Communications Index (CCI), Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM), Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT), and NLM’s Health Education Materials Assessment Tool (HEMAT).
• Use the NLM’s HEMAT to evaluate health education materials.

Presenter Bio

Molly Knapp, MA, AHIP-D is a Training Development Manager for the Network of the National Library of Medicine Training Office. A medical librarian for over 20 years, Molly develops, consults and leads national level training initiatives and projects on resources from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, including PubMed and MedlinePlus.gov. 

This session will be recorded and the recording will be shared with all registrants.

Register via Zoom