Department of Communication Studies Works

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Improvisation as a Narrative of Faculty & Learner Growth and Development in Higher Education
(Palgrave, 2025-10) Longtin, Krista; Watson, Jacob
In this chapter, we explore how improvisational mindsets can transform faculty and graduate student socialization in higher education from narratives of constraint to narratives of growth. Drawing on theories from communication, organizational behavior, and applied improvisation, we argue that faculty development and professional identity formation are inherently relational and co-constructed. Through autoethnographic narratives and a synthesis of literature, we show how principles such as “yes, and…,” ensemble thinking, and bringing “bricks, not cathedrals” can foster greater collaboration, agency, and flexibility. We critique traditional, linear models of academic socialization that prioritize individual achievement and hierarchy, and instead propose a model of critical flexibility that addresses systemic inequities while affirming the potential for institutional change. Ultimately, we view improvisation as both a mindset and a method for enacting cultural transformation in academic life, offering a generative path forward for faculty and learners alike.
Development of pediatric OSA health communication messaging for and with parents
(Oxford, 2022) Honaker, Sarah; McQuillan, Maureen; Binion, Kelsey; Brann, Maria
Introduction Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is often undetected, due in part to gaps in parental awareness of OSA symptoms. To activate parents to talk to their child’s provider about OSA symptoms, there is a need for effective OSA health communication messaging. Methods We developed a health communication message in the form of an infographic, designed to help parents recognize the link between nighttime and daytime OSA symptoms. The message encouraged parents who saw these symptoms in their child to speak with their child’s provider. The infographic was iteratively reviewed, rated, and refined through a series of twelve virtual focus groups with three types of stakeholder: parents of children with OSA symptoms (n=24), primary care providers (n=9), and sleep medicine specialists (n=4). During groups, we elicited reactions and asked participants to rate various aspects of the message. Results Stakeholder feedback (semi-structured sessions and anonymous ratings) was elicited for the initial draft and two subsequent iterations of the message that incorporated prior feedback. Anonymous stakeholder ratings were measured on a scale from 1-5, with 5 denoting stronger endorsement of the construct. Parents rated the message positively for content (M=4.77; SD=0.44), literacy demand (M=4.92, SD=0.28), graphics/design (M=4.69, SD=0.63), and activation (M=4.77, SD=0.44). Sleep medicine providers perceived the message as accurate (M=5.0, SD=0) and primary care providers rated it as acceptable (M=4.67, SD=0.58) and feasible (M=4.33, SD=0.58) for display and dissemination in primary care settings. Conclusion We developed a pediatric OSA health communication message that was rated highly by parents, primary care providers, and sleep medicine specialists. Next steps are to disseminate and evaluate the impact of the message on pediatric OSA detection.
Interpersonal health communication theories
(Wiley, 2021) Brann, Maria; Bute, Jennifer J.; Keeley, Maureen; Petronio, Sandra; Pines, Rachyl; Watson, Bernadette
The process of health communication has in many ways traditionally been studied as an interpersonal context. Some of the later chapters in this volume will focus on contexts that are more likely to be mediated, but three theories are used frequently enough to study the interpersonal dimensions of health communication that the editors elected to have experts on each of them describe the theories separately. The three theories are communication accommodation theory, communication privacy management theory, and the theory of negotiated morality. All these theories are dyadic in focus. We combine them into one chapter to allow comparison and contrast, but all are equally useful and must be included in a volume such as this. None of these theories is applied exclusively in the health communication context, but all have seen productive application within it.
Using Narrative to Empower, Educate, and Make Sense of Reproductive Loss
(Vernon Press, 2025) Brann, Maria; Leverenz, Alaina; Bute, Jennifer J.; Holman, Amanda; Horstman, Haley K.
Reproductive loss is a common, yet often silenced, event that can disrupt the lives of all those involved. Individuals who experience reproductive loss must find ways to make sense of and cope with what has occurred. One way to do this is through crafting and sharing their stories. In this chapter, we argue that narrative has the power to transform people’s understanding of loss, their identity in relation to loss, and their relationships with those around them. Using narrative as a tool for sense-making and educating others is empowering for both the person telling the story and for those with whom it is shared. We offer evidence-based suggestions for empowering storytellers to share their stories and for storylisteners to encourage such disclosures.
Top five listicle assignment
(Cognella, 2025) Head, Katharine J.; Brann, Maria
This assignment was adapted from a sample syllabus by Dr. Charee Thompson posted on the NCA website in which she asked students to create a Top 5 list in the form of a 3-5 page paper. We adapted her original idea to the current assignment which asks students to create a Top 5 Listicle (i.e., a portmanteau of list + article) commonly used in media today that is usually a combination of text, statistics, graphics, charts, and other visual elements. We are thankful to Dr. Charee for the inspiration for this assignment and we hope the adaption we’ve described below is something that our fellow Communication scholars may find useful to integrate into their classes.
Relationship between health-related quality of life, depression, and anxiety in older primary care patients and their family members
(Taylor & Francis, 2024) Fowler, Nicole R.; Perkins, Anthony J.; Park, Seho; Schroeder, Matthew W.; Boustani, Malaz A.; Head, Katharine J.; Bakas, Tamilyn; Communication Studies, School of Liberal Arts
Objectives Patient-family member dyads experience transitions through illness as an interdependent team. This study measures the association of depression, anxiety, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of older adult primary care patient-family member dyads. Methods Baseline data from 1,808 patient-family member dyads enrolled in a trial testing early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in primary care. Actor-Partner Independence Model was used to analyze dyadic relationships between patients’ and family members’ depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and HRQOL (SF-36 Physical Component Summary score and Mental Component Summary score). Results Family member mean (SD) age is 64.2 (13) years; 32.2% male; 84.6% White; and 64.8% being the patient’s spouse/partner. Patient mean (SD) age is 73.7 (5.7) years; 47% male; and 85.1% White. For HRQOL, there were significant actor effects for patient and family member depression alone and depression and anxiety together on their own HRQOL (p < 0.001). There were significant partner effects where family member depression combined with anxiety was associated with the patient’s physical component summary score of the SF-36 (p = 0.010), and where the family member’s anxiety alone was associated with the patient’s mental component summary score of the SF-36 (p = 0.031). Conclusion Results from this study reveal that many dyads experience covarying health status (e.g. depression, anxiety) even prior to entering a caregiving situation.
“Our Birth Experiences are What Binds Us”: Women’s Motivations for Storytelling about Birth to Build Motherwisdom
(Taylor & Francis, 2020) Johnson, Nicole L.; Scott, Susanna F.; Brann, Maria; Communication Studies, School of Liberal Arts
Childbirth is widely considered to be a bonding experience among women. Women often feel compelled to share their story, and this research highlights communicative and reflexive aspects of storytelling as a means for meaning-making and relationship-building. This inductive thematic analysis explored 22 women’s motivations for engaging in storytelling about birth across five focus groups and two one-on-one interviews. Findings demonstrate one primary theme, building motherwisdom, a term coined here to reflect the uniqueness of the birth storytelling context. We also identified three secondary themes for motivation to engage in birth storytelling: (1) fulfilling a sense of responsibility to share one’s story to normalize a variety of birth experiences and to listen to learn about birth, (2) empowering women, and (3) seeking validation. Women receive positive therapeutic benefit from storytelling, and this may be particularly important in maintaining and improving mental health during the postpartum period. Our work informs the environments we can create to motivate mothers to share and listen to birth stories to foster this benefit.
Narrative Sense-Making During COVID-19: Using Stories to Understand Birth in a Global Pandemic
(Taylor & Francis, 2024) Brann, Maria; Bute, Jennifer J.; Foxworthy Scott, Susanna; Johnson, Nicole L.; Communication Studies, School of Liberal Arts
Women who gave birth in the spring and summer of 2020 contended with a host of challenging factors. In addition to facing pregnancy, labor, and delivery during an emerging global pandemic, women grappled with health care restrictions that altered their birth experience. To explore how women made sense of their birth during COVID-19, we analyzed written narratives from 71 women who gave birth in the United States from March to July 2020. Based on tenets of communicated narrative sense-making, the themes that emerged from our data suggest that women framed the role of the pandemic as either completely overshadowing their birth experience or as an inconvenience. Women also wrote about threats to their agency as patients, mothers, and caregivers, as well as the evolving emotional toll of the pandemic that often prompted feelings of fear and sadness, along with self-identified anxiety and depression. We discuss these findings in light of the literature on birth stories as essential sites of narrative sense-making for women and their families.
Identifying communication behaviors and assessing effectiveness among interprofessional healthcare teams: A simulation study
(Kentucky Communication Association, 2024) Binion, Kelsey E.; Brann, Maria; Communication Studies, School of Liberal Arts
To deliver high quality health care, effective communication must exist among providers and between providers and patients. However, communicating across health disciplines is challenging because learners train in professional silos. Using a two-part simulation, this study's objectives were to identify effective communication behaviors of interprofessional healthcare teams and to evaluate their success in delivering team-based care for standardized patients. During the simulation, 10 standardized patients completed an evaluation to assess 46 teams of learners (n = 222). The evaluation included a patient-rated measure of healthcare providers' empathy and communication skills as well as a comment box for feedback. Of the 92 evaluations collected, four effective communication behaviors among interprofessional healthcare teams were identified: be aware of the patient's situation, participate in the interaction equally, create a comfortable environment, and nurture and strengthen a relationship. Learners demonstrated improvement in team communication between the first and second encounters with a standardized patient, and they exhibited five of the eight communication sub-competencies that are deemed necessary for interprofessional collaborative practice. This study demonstrated that learners' communicative behaviors improved during the simulation; thus, future interprofessional simulation activities should consider exercises that require learners to practice and refine their communication and teamwork skills.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the experience”: a narrative analysis of Chrissy Teigen’s social media describing her miscarriage
(Taylor & Francis, 2024) Binion, Kelsey E.; Brann, Maria; Communication Studies, School of Liberal Arts
In August 2020, celebrity Chrissy Teigen shared on social media that she was pregnant with her third child. The following month, Teigen used social media to document her pregnancy complications. On September 30, 2020, Teigen posted five black and white photographs via Instagram that chronicled the emotional and physical pain of a miscarriage. One month later, Teigen published an online essay describing the circumstances surrounding her miscarriage and explaining the importance of documenting her experience. By using narrative criticism, this study describes the rhetorical features, specifically the characters, settings, and medium, to explain how Teigen, using social media, sparked a national conversation about miscarriage and the need for compassion and awareness. This analysis discusses the implications of using technology in removing the shroud of silence and stigma that exists around miscarriage in American culture.

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