Dr. Teresa Wagner Announced as a Keynote Speaker for Two Major Conferences
March 4, 2025 • News
Dr. Teresa Wagner, Associate Professor in the College of Public Health (CPH) at UNTHSC, will serve as the keynote speaker at two major conferences this year.
She is scheduled to present at the National Academies of Practice’s Annual Meeting next week and the annual Texas Healthcare Safety Conference in July. These opportunities serve as a statement to the impact she is making in public health.
National Academies of Practice
The National Academies of Practice (NAP) is a non-profit interprofessional organization that advocates for improved healthcare. The academy has recognized Dr. Wagner as a leading expert in health literacy both in the state of Texas and internationally. Dr. Wagner serves as the current vice president of the U.S. Health Literacy Association and serves on the board for the International Health Literacy Association (IHLA). She is a NAP Registered Dietitian Distinguished Fellow and serves as the incoming chair-elect for the Registered Dietitian Academy.
Dr. Wagner emphasized that this year the academy is focused on action. “For years, we have tried to raise awareness, so I’ll present some of the interprofessional programs I’ve had the good fortune of working with excellent teams on that took action and made an impact helping people access, understand, and use health information.”
Texas Healthcare Safety Conference
The Texas Healthcare Safety Conference gathers healthcare and public health professionals across Texas to share updates and revelations in healthcare. These updates include new information on infection prevention and control training, information on the state’s healthcare safety initiatives, and emerging public health threats. The conference which takes place in Austin, Texas this year will focus on patient safety and health literacy – two concepts Dr. Wagner is most passionate about. This year’s conference theme is “Safer Tomorrow: Bridging the Gap to Healthcare Safety.”
Dr. Wagner’s research primarily focuses on alleviating miscommunication between providers and patients and particularly reaching rural communities through health literacy to improve overall population health. “Health literacy is key to improving both patient safety and outcomes by empowering people to access, understand and use health information,” says the CPH associate professor. “Healthy People 2030 calls out the responsibility for healthcare organizations to “Bridge that Gap” so that information enables people to make informed health decisions.”
Health Literacy Bills
Dr. Wagner continues to advance the field of health literacy locally, statewide, nationally and internationally. Her actions are evident in work including educating Texas legislators by helping connect the dots between the value of improving health literacy to goals surrounding insurance and cost transparency. This connection helps bridge the gap and empower Texas healthcare consumers.
“Better health literacy means consumers are more capable of comparing plans and making informed choices about what’s best for their needs,” says Dr. Wagner. “A health literate consumer is more likely to identify the true costs of care, thus reducing confusion and potential surprise medical bills.”
In the approaching months, Dr. Wagner looks forward to leading the planning committee and hosting the 2026 Health Literacy Collaborative Summit, an interprofessional ten state collaboration which will take place on our very own campus on April 23-24, 2026.
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