Health Literacy Specialist Certificate Program Overview

Over 80 million U.S. adults struggle to comprehend information essential to navigating and functioning in our healthcare system.

Improving health literacy and promoting health equity is everyone’s responsibility. Whether you’re new to healthcare or are a seasoned professional, IHA’s Health Literacy Specialist (HLS) Certificate Program will enhance your health literacy knowledge and empower you with the critical skills needed to improve your communication.

This certificate program gives a comprehensive overview of health literacy. From plain language strategies to community engaged research and organizational health literacy, anyone working in healthcare will learn something of value to apply to their work".

- Diane Webb, Director of Clinical Trial & Science Communications

Health Literacy Media

How To Earn Your Certificate

The Health Literacy Specialist Certificate Program consists of seven individual and stackable micro-credentials within critical health literacy domains, delivered through an online Learning Management System (LMS).  This allows you to learn at your own pace and complete the micro-credentials in any order. After passing the exam for all seven micro-credentials, you’ll earn a digital badge, a Health Literacy Specialist Certificate, and up to 49 continuing education credits (CECs).

The seven micro-credentials are: Communication, Community Engagement, Ethics, Education, Language, Culture & Diversity, Organizational Systems and Polices, and Public Health. See full descriptions, individual pricing and continuing education information on the "Program Content" button below.

Certificate vs. Credentialing

IHA's Health Literacy Specialist Certificate is an educational credential you earn upon completion of all seven micro-credentials. It provides knowledge and abilities in the field of health literacy and provides a path to expertise without the need for an advanced degree.

This is not a certification. Certification involves passing a test that meets ongoing professional standards to confirm that a person has the competency (skills, knowledge, and abilities) to carry out a certain job. IHA is currently exploring the development of a certification program for health literacy.

If you’d like to stay updated on news about the credentialing program, click here.

Read Testimonial Quotes from Recent Participants
Read what participants shared with us regarding their experience with IHA’s HLS Certificate program.

Our Certificate Program is awarded the ICE 1100: 2019 - Standard for Assessment-Based Certificate

On July 5, 2023, the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) granted accreditation to IHA's Health Literacy Specialist Certificate Program for demonstrating compliance with ICE 1100:2019 – Standard for Assessment-Based Certificate Programs. ICE 1100 was first published in January 2009 to ensure that assessment-based certificate programs adhere to modern standards of practice for the credentialing industry. The Standard was updated in 2019 and is approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for adoption as an American National Standard. More information about ICE is available online at www.credentialingexcellence.org or by calling 202-367-1165.

For more information or technical help, please contact us using our online support page or refer to FAQ, Policies and General Information,