Defining, measuring and improving health literacy in populations

Don Nutbeam

Professor Nutbeam shares his time as a Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney, and a Senior Advisor at the Sax Institute, an independent, not for profit organisation dedicated to knowledge transfer for better public policy.

His career has spanned positions in universities, government, health services and an independent health research institute. He was Vice-Chancellor (President) of the University of Southampton, UK (2009-2015) and prior to this Provost (2006-9) and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health Sciences) at the University of Sydney from 2003. In this latter position, he was Head of the College of Health Sciences, comprising the Faculties of Medicine, Health Sciences, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy. For the period 2000–2003 he was a senior public servant, Head of Public Health in the UK Department of Health. His career prior to 2000 included a 10-year spell at the University of Sydney.

He is a social scientist with research interests in the social and behavioural determinants of health, and in the development and evaluation of public health interventions. Since 2000, he has continued his work in testing health literacy interventions through funded research in collaboration with colleagues in the UK and Europe, and in Australia.

He has substantial international experience in both developing and developed countries, working as an advisor and consultant on public health issues for the World Health Organisation over a 30-year period and as consultant and team leader in health system capacity development projects for the World Bank.