She started by describing the Knowledge Centre for Health Ghent, which services not just students but also clinicians and patients and the public. Their remit includes social outreach and policy support. One goal is opening up academic knowledge for the general public. De Meulemeester explained why health literacy development matters, referring to statistics on how people gain information on health. Libraries are not the total answer, as they can be intimidating to those with low literacy, it can be difficult to reach vulnerable groups (there may be no local library), library staff may lack knowledge to support health literacy. They developed sessions Dr Google: looking for reliable health information which are free, sharing reliable information and expert knowledge. In a 2 hour session they have 30 minutes from an information specialist and 90 minutes from a healthcare specialist. They also do tailored one hour sessions.
Topics include healthy sleep (with Dept of Public Health & Primary Care), AI in skin cancer detection & sun protection (with the Department of dermatology - University hospital). They aim to find a popular/concerning topic and a relevant health expert who is willing to partner. The interprofessional team includes graphic designer, policy advisor, health experts, information specialists etc. Organisational partners include AVANSA (a community-based organisation), the City of Ghent (giving access to community centres etc.) and libraries. "The public" is very varied so they aim to find out information about the target group so they can customise the session a bit, they always give time for questions, they use everyday language (avoiding unfamiliar terms e.g. no English) and visuals, and a structured approach. The researchers are motivated as they want to know the societal worth of their research, and also they get new research questions provoked by the interaction with the public.
De Meulemeester emphasised the need for organisational and communication skills and contextual awareness. Also this work is done on a voluntary basis so "you need to have a heart". She gave some recommendations, such as defining roles and expertise, evaluating outreach activities, using all your various networks, and focusing on the topics & needs of your target group. They are looking for ways to make the initiative sustainable whilst reaching broader audiences, and they are currently applying for a train-the-trainer grant (so health care providers can be trained).
Photo by Sheila Webber: Statue of E.T.A. Hoffmann, Bamber, September 2025
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