Building upon the 2004 report Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion, the Institute of Medicine has convened a Roundtable on Health Literacy. The Roundtable brings together leaders from academia, industry, government, foundations and associations, and representatives of patient and consumer interests who have an interest and role in improving health literacy.

The mission of the Roundtable is to move forward the field of health literacy by translating research findings to practical strategies that can be implemented. To achieve this mission, the Roundtable discusses challenges facing health literacy practice and research, and identifies approaches to promote health literacy through mechanisms and partnerships in both the public and private sectors.

The Roundtable is sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, National Cancer Institute, Health Resources and Services Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service, Kaiser Permanente, Affinity Health Plan, Academy for Educational Development, American College of Physicians Foundation, American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, American Heart Association, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and Merck.