Evolution of Health Literacy : Empowering Patients through Improved Education

Nitin Agarwal, M.D., matriculated into the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery residency program in 2014. Prior to joining, Dr. Agarwal received his doctorate of medicine from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. His funded research interests focus on improving patient education to optimize clinical outcomes. To date, he has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters as well as spoken at several national conferences with over 75 oral and poster presentations. His health literary related research has been published in several high impact factor journals including JAMA Internal Medicine and featured by prominent healthcare oriented news outlets such as Reuters Health. Dr. Agarwal also maintains an active role in organized neurosurgery advocating for medical student as well as patient education. Recently, he was appointed as a member of the Young Neurosurgeons Committee of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and selected as a Council of State Neurological Societies socioeconomic fellow. Outside of medicine, Dr. Agarwal is deeply dedicated to martial arts, specifically the disciplines of Taekwondo, Krav Maga, and Jiu-Jitsu. Physicians have long pledged to adhere to four basic moral principles, a concise framework for the larger field of medical ethics. As is commonly known, those values consist of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. However, in order to advocate for these principles for patients, medical professionals must first ensure patients have appropriate medical resources from which to glean information. This book serves to underscore this concept and advance the field of patient education.Target Audience:This book will reach a wide range audience including surgeons, physicians, dentists, psychologists, optometrists, chiropractors, podiatrists, nurses, medical technicians, and other healthcare providers. Additionally, this book will be of interest to the general academic audience, especially university level professors in a range of fields.