معرفی
Orkan Okan is a Professor of Health Literacy at the Department of Health and Sport Sciences, Technical University of Munich (TUM), since 2021. He holds a PhD in Educational Science (2020, Bielefeld University, summa cum laude) and studied Educational Science with a focus on teacher training at the University of Duisburg-Essen. His research centers on health literacy in childhood and adolescence, particularly within school and educational contexts, integrating digitalization, media literacy, and infodemiology. He leads the WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Literacy and coordinates global networks like Covid-HL and GLOBHL.
- Education: PhD in Educational Science (Bielefeld University, 2020), MSc in Educational Science (University of Duisburg-Essen)
- Leadership Roles: Vice President of the International Health Literacy Association (2022), Deputy Chair at IUHPE (2019)
Research Interests include:
- Health literacy as a social vaccine during pandemics
- Organizational health literacy in school systems
- Development of cross-cultural measurement tools for health literacy
- Digital health literacy and infodemic management
- Integration of health literacy into educational policy
- Gender disparities in health literacy outcomes
Recent Publications (2022–2023) reveal trends in:
- Global pandemic responses using health literacy frameworks
- Psychosocial impacts of pandemic stress on school leaders
- Digital transformation in health education
- School-based interventions for adolescent health
- Cross-national comparisons of literacy models
- Policy development for health-literate institutions
Scientific Awards include:
- Vice President, International Health Literacy Association (2022)
- Vice President, EUPHA Health Promotion Section (2016)
- Deputy Chair, IUHPE Global Working Group on Health Literacy (2019)
Advising and Grants involve:
- Co-founding the Global Covid-19 Health Literacy Network
- Leading the BMBF-funded HLCA research consortium (since 2015)
- Contributing to WHO’s international health literacy measurement frameworks
Lab and Team Affiliations include:
- Head of the Health Literacy Unit at TUM
- Member of the Unesco Chair Global Health and Education (since 2019)
- Coordinating international research teams across Germany, Denmark, Finland, and Ecuador
