Leadership

Leadership


The ComSHER Leadership Team consists of the Executive Committee, including the Head, Vice Head, Vice Head-Elect, and co-Research Chairs, as well as officers, including the Teaching Chair, PF&R Chair, and Secretary. In addition, the ComSHER division has two primary committees: the media team and graduate student committee. The 2024 - 2025 Leadership Team can be found below:

Executive Committee

Head

Jessica_Willoughby.jpgJessica Willoughby

Washington State University
jessica.willoughby@wsu.edu


Jessica Willoughby is an associate professor in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. Her research focuses on health communication, with an emphasis on adolescents and young adults and the use of digital technology and mobile health (mHealth) for health promotion.

Vice Head

Ashley_Anderson.jpgAshley Anderson

Colorado State University
ashley.a.anderson@colostate.edu


Ashley Anderson is an associate professor in Journalism and Media Communication and a member of the Center for Science Communication at Colorado State University. Her research explores how digital media, community contexts, and organizational partnerships inform public engagement with science, emphasizing tone in online discourse and information behaviors and perceptions related to health and environmental risks.


Vice-Head Elect

Kang_Namkoong.pngKang Namkoong

University of Maryland
namkoong@umd.edu


Kang is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland. His research examines the interrelationships between emerging media and health communication. Key areas of focus include the effects of web- and mobile-based eHealth systems, cancer communication, occupational health and safety, and mental health. Recently, his research has expanded to investigate the effects of immersive media (e.g., AR and VR) and AI-based health interventions.


Co-Research Chair

Sojung_Kim.jpgSojung (Claire) Kim

George Mason University
skim205@gmu.edu


Sojung (Claire) is an associate professor and a director of the Communication, Health, and Relational Media (CHARM) lab in the Department of Communication at George Mason University. Her research interests broadly lie on intersections of social media, health risk communication, and strategic messaging. Research contexts primarily concern challenging health and environmental issues such as cancer, addiction, vaccination, and climate change.

Co-Research Chair

Roma_Subramanian.jpgRoma Subramanian

University of Nebraska-Omaha
rsubramanian@unomaha.edu


Roma Subramanian is an associate professor in the School of Communication at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is also an affiliate faculty member of the university’s medical humanities program as well as of the Goldstein Center for Human Rights. She earned her doctorate in journalism from the University of Missouri. Her research focuses on health communication, particularly regarding stigmatized disorders/issues (e.g., mental illness, substance use, sexual assault).

Officers

Teaching Chair

Shupei_Yuan.jpgShupei Yuan

Northern Illinois University
syuan@niu.edu


Shupei Yuan is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Northern Illinois University. Her research focuses on the support and factors that influence science communicators' engagement with the public, as well as the effects of strategic communication styles in the context of risk, science, and health communication.

PF&R Chair

Kaiping_Chen.pngKaiping Chen
University of Wisconsin-Madison
kchen67@wisc.edu

Kaiping Chen is an associate professor in computational communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Life Sciences Communication. Her research focuses on using data science methods as well as interviews to study and design effective communication processes to engage diverse publics in science & technology policymaking from climate justice to fairness AI. Her work is interdisciplinary that draws from theories in communication, political science, and computer sciences. Kaiping is also a civic engagement practitioner, helping local governments and communities in the U.S. and China implement innovative public engagement practices. For her work, please check: https://www.kaipingchen.com/ 

Secretary

Nic Bennett
Michigan State University
nichole.lynn.bennett@gmail.com

Nic Bennett, Ph.D. researches power, identity, and belonging in science communication. They are a postdoctoral research fellow with the Scicomm Identities Project at Michigan State University. They engage arts- and science-based research and practice to critique, disrupt, and reimagine science communication spaces. Alongside scientists, artists, activists, and community members, they hope to expand the circle of human concern in science communication and STEM. Check out their website at http://stemprov.org