A planning committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will organize a public virtual workshop featuring invited presentations and moderated discussion on critical health literacy in addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH), particularly among vulnerable populations. The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. The workshop will examine the evolving concept of critical health literacy–health literacy skills that lead to empowerment of individuals, communities, and organizations to take action around the conditions that create or detract from health. The workshop will address:

• How does the concept of critical health literacy differ from the general concept of health literacy?
• How can individuals and organizations use critical health literacy strategies to address the SDOH?
• What are the research and implementation opportunities for critical health literacy as a tool to address SDOH?

The planning committee will define specific topics to be addressed, develop the agenda, select and invite speakers and other participants, and moderate the discussions. A proceedings in brief of the presentations and discussions at the workshop will be prepared by a designated rapporteur in accordance with institutional guidelines.