Rukhsana Ahmed

CV

Teaching and Research Areas: Health Communication, Organizational Communication, Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication, Research Methods

Research Interests

My primary research interests lie at the intersections of health, organizational, interpersonal, and intercultural communication. In particular, my research embraces the cross/trans/inter-disciplinary nature of communication scholarship, with specific focus on exploring the role of communication processes in improving health outcomes among marginalized communities and promoting broader organizational and social changes and innovations in local, national, and international health contexts. I study the interaction of people involved in the health care process and the creation, dissemination and interpretation of health-related messages by individuals, groups, organizations, and/or mass media and technology. I pay attention to how these messages are mediated through various socio-cultural, political, and economic factors. In this scholarship, I use quantitative, qualitative, rhetorical, and critical procedures relevant to the question I ask and the audience I address.

By adopting an interdisciplinary perspective within a social justice framework, I have established fruitful collaborative research partnerships and multi-sectoral projects in complementary areas, including immigrant and refugee health; religious diversity; multicultural media; social media; telehealth; and risk communication, among others. My research projects have significance for scholarship, policy, and practice. Through my projects, I strive to provide empirical evidence, shed light on the significance of designing theoretically driven and methodologically sound public and community-engaged research, as well as offer user-oriented skills learning and training programs for different stakeholders.

My research projects have been funded by Federal Government Agencies and Not-For-Profit Organization, and I have presented and published top papers and award-winning book at the intersection of health communication, service quality, culture, and media in international, national, and regional interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary conferences and peer-reviewed publication outlets.

Personal Page: https://rukhsanaahmed.wordpress.com/