Teaching

"Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.”

— Dr. Mae Jemison

Teaching Philosophy:

My teaching philosophy is based on my belief that scholarship should be wielded to influence real-world outcomes. As such, I aim for my students to understand how communication (and health) impacts their lives and the lives of others. Not only this, but I hope to help encourage them to be engaged, informed citizens. As a health communication instructor, I challenge my students to consider and appreciate the diversity of health experiences that exists. They should understand that while health is tied to an individual's decisions, those decisions are constrained and impacted by a host of other factors (e.g., racism, access). It is my desire for students to leave my classes not only having learned course material, but also being able to take information and skills into their everyday lives (e.g., how to provide support, understanding health insurance).

Courses:

Below are the classes I currently teach or have recently taught at UW-Madison:

Com Arts 318: Introduction to Health Communication
- Explore the diversity of health experiences and the ways in which health communication affects our lives, whether it is through interpersonal conversations about health issues, exposure to health information in the media, or through our personal involvement with the healthcare system.

Com Arts 518: Communication & Health Inequalities
- Explore the role of communication as a contributor to existing health inequalities and a means of helping to reduce them. We will consider social scientific theories and research on a wide array of topics including communication inequalities and public discourse around social determinants of health.

Com Arts 612: Race and Health Communication
- Explore the intersections of race and health communication. We will consider social scientific theories and research on a wide away of topics including why race (and more specifically, racism) may be an important factor to consider in health communication, the impact of racial stereotypes and portrayals on health, and targeting and tailoring health communication messages.

Com Arts 970: (Mis)Trust in Health Communication
- This course is designed to provide a review of current research on the role of trust and mistrust in health communication, including associations with health misinformation. The examination of trust and mistrust will include both interpersonal (e.g., patient-provider communication) and mediated (e.g., considerations for health campaigns) domains. We will review current research on the meanings, relationships, and implications of trust and mistrust in health communication. As we cover this literature, we will explore the implications for addressing misinformation and implementing health programs and policies. Contemporary theories and empirical research will be examined.