10th Biannual Forum on Plain English at the University of Houston-Downtown, February 26, 2026
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you to participate in the 10th Biannual Forum on Plain English organized by the Institute for Plain English Research and Study (IPERS) at the University of Houston-Downtown. The forum will be a ZOOM webinar with 2 sessions and will take place on Thursday, February 26 (10am-3:00pm). You and your students can participate in one or all sessions. The forum aims to promote informed uses of Plain English guidelines, which are writing standards recommended by several government agencies for improved communications with the general public. The event is free of charge.
Review our program for more details: https://staging.uhd.edu/academics/humanities/news-community/institute-plain-english-research-study/forum-on-plain-english.aspx .
Presenter:
Katie Leath is the director of the Center for Health Literacy at UAMS. She has more than a decade of experience in health literacy, plain language, and public health. Katie leads a team of experts who make health information more accessible, understandable, and actionable by developing award-winning materials, training health professionals and students, and consulting on best practices in health literacy. She also supports national health literacy and plain language efforts serving as a board member for the Center for Plain Language and as the inaugural Region 6 Coordinator for the newly formed US Health Literacy Association. Katie earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing with a minor in graphic design from the University of Central Arkansas. She graduated with honors from UAMS with a master of public health and from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a master’s degree in applied communication studies.
Our one-day forum will address the following topic:
• How AI and plain language can inform health literacy
Date and Time: 10a.m.-3p.m. (Central), Thursday, February 26, 2026
Location: ZOOM (The link will be sent via email. Please register using the link below.)
Registration Deadline: Monday, February 23, 2026.
To register, go to https://uhd.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1G4iSPr8wsOySpw. The link to the webinar will be sent via email.
Sponsors and Supporters: This program is made possible by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Institute for Plain English Research and Study (IPERS) at UHD.
Contact Information: If you have any questions, please email us at matveevan. We are looking forward to seeing you at the forum.
Natalia Matveeva, Ph.D.
Professor, Corporate Communication
Communication Studies
Co-director, Institute for Plain English Research and Study (IPERS)
Department of Arts and Communication
University of Houston-Downtown