Jo Protheroe

Biography

Professor Joanne Protheroe has been a practising General Practitioner for over 18 years and has worked in various research capacities, before joining Keele University as Senior Lecturer in General Practice in 2011. 

Jo was recently appointed as Professor of General Practice in Keele's Medical School, where she leads the Academic Primary Care team. She continues to practise as a GP in an inner-city practice, a role which fuels her interest in health literacy and patient participation in their health, especially those in disadvantaged groups. 

She is a national expert in the field of Health Literacy, regularly invited to present at conferences, a member of the Scientific Committees of Health Literacy conferences in the US and Europe and sits on Editorial boards of national and international Journals. 

Jo is the current Chair of the Health Literacy UK Group and has recently been appointed as Honorary Health Literacy Clinical Advisor to NHS England. 

Research and scholarship

Jo's research, influenced by her clinical practice, is focussed on two NHS priorities - the needs of socio-economically disadvantaged patients and the need for interventions to improve patient self-management in long-term conditions. Research has shown that patients with low health literacy have difficulty in participating in their health care, resulting in poorer health.

Health literacy, a major cause of health inequalities, is a priority area for NHS a nd needed for patients/public to understand and act on health information and share decisions to improve their health and wellbeing. 

Jo co-establish, and now leads the Health Literacy UK group (800+ members) and is a leading internationally recognised academic in this field. 

Jo's research shows that 43-61% of the working age English population have poor health literacy (2015). This has led to a shift in NHSE policy and her appointment as a Health Literacy Clinical Advisor to NHSE. Jo highlighted the problems with health literac/health materials in Staffordshire (2016,2016) and developed tools and interventions (eg patient priorities tool and health trainer peer support) to improve participation in health care (2010, 2016); currently developing innovative interventions with Stoke Public Health, eg community pharmacists improving health literacy, interventions for pre-school and school-age children, and inclusion of health literacy in Quality Improvement for GPs. 

Nationally, Jo has presented to the House of Commons, interviews in National media (BBC Breakfast, radio and newspapers); written a foreword for a policy brief to spotlight health literacy ahead of political manifestos co-authored Report for the RCP/RCGP highlighting the important role primary care has in improving health literacy.