Cynthia Baur

Cynthia Baur is the Endowed Chair and Director of the Horowitz Center for Health Literacy at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, where she also holds the rank of Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health. She specializes in health literacy and communication, focusing on improving health equity across individual, community, and organizational levels. Dr. Baur leads the nation’s first academic health literacy center, designated as Maryland’s consumer health information hub through legislation she advocated for (HB1082). Her work includes federal and state-funded projects on clear communication, diabetes prevention, and health literacy improvement. During the pandemic, her team supported Maryland health departments in crisis communication and public health messaging. Previously, she spent 20 years at the CDC and HHS Office of Disease Prevention, leading initiatives like the Plain Language and Health Literacy programs.

Dr. Baur earned her PhD in Communication from the University of California, San Diego in 1995. Her research emphasizes health literacy’s role in public health emergencies, digital health equity, and interdisciplinary healthcare education. She provides expertise to national committees and trains professionals in health communication best practices.

Her recent publications highlight crisis communication gaps during pandemics, interventions addressing marginalized populations’ health literacy needs, and the impact of organizational health literacy policies. Dr. Baur’s work bridges academic research with actionable strategies to enhance health equity through evidence-based communication and community engagement.

As Principal Investigator on multiple grants, she collaborates with state agencies on initiatives like Maryland’s diabetes action plan. Her leadership extends to co-designing digital health tools with underserved communities, ensuring culturally appropriate and accessible health information.