Because health should be for all
At REACH, we conduct research on how health literacy is shaped and applied based on personal circumstances and social conditions. We also examine how organizations and communities can make health information and initiatives more accessible and understandable for everyone, ensuring more equitable access and outcomes.

REACH is built on a research community grounded in core values such as justice, inclusion, community, and the right to health-promoting opportunities and make informed choices about health and well-being.

At REACH, we work according to the following four overarching research principles:

1. Practice-oriented problem analysis and co-creation
   Research at REACH takes place in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders, target groups, and actors, often using co-creative methods.
2. Evidence-based knowledge with room for adaptation
   At REACH, we recognize that local conditions can make traditional research results difficult to implement in practice. We work with methods that focus on integrating evidence-based practice while considering opportunities for adaptation when reality changes.
3. System-based approach
   Organizations and communities are complex, adaptive systems where numerous influences constantly create change. At REACH, we investigate the mechanisms and effects that emerge when new policies or initiatives based on health literacy impact these systems.
4. Multisectoral and interdisciplinary focus
   Health and well-being can be promoted or hindered across all policy areas. At REACH, we work at all socio-ecological levels to create a shared movement across sectors, actors, and disciplines.

Leadership and organization
REACH is a research center at the Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, within the Faculty of Health Sciences.

REACH is broadly organized with an international scientific advisory board tasked with strengthening the academic and scientific direction of REACH, as well as a local steering group with representation from the Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, and REACH’s broad collaborative network. The steering group supports the center leadership’s decision-making processes and monitors the center’s progress according to established goals and success criteria.

Research at REACH is organized into four research programs, under which individual projects are placed. The research is supported by the center leadership, consisting of Center Director Helle Terkildsen Maindal, Daily Coordinator Anna Aaby, and Talent and Education Lead Knud Ryom.