LAB DIRECTORS

 Drs. Angela Cooke-Jackson and Valerie Rubinsky have individually and collaboratively published more than 25 peer-reviewed research studies about sexual and reproductive health communication and intimate relationships. Their current research investigates how families and intimate partners can most productively leverage memorable conversations and messages to constructively engage subjects related to intimate health such as menstruation, birth control, and sexual relationships.

DR. ANGELA COOKE-JACKSON

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Dr. Cooke-Jackson specializes in Health Communication and Behavioral Science, employing community-based participatory research and media literacy to assist communities in developing innovative and practical approaches for sustainable change. She envisions her research at the intersection of culture, health disparities, and marginalized populations. Currently a professor at California State University - Los Angeles, she has previously held positions at Emerson College, Eastern Kentucky University, University of New Mexico, Northern Kentucky University, and University of Vermont.

She has designed and successfully implemented curriculum for universities, community agencies, and non-profit organizations. Her partnerships include program assessment, train-the-trainer education, program evaluation, race, diversity and equity training, and support toward the creation and dissemination of health information specifically as it impacts inclusion, equity, and diversity engagement. While in Boston, she served as the co-founder and director of a peer-to-peer mentoring program in partnership with the Boston Public Health Commission’s Start Strong youth program, where she provided media content education and curriculum for sexual health and healthy dating relationships for Boston youth.  In Los Angeles she established partnerships with MPact Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and ECHO Local Dental Pilot Project. 

She has created international collaborations partnering with the Queensland University of Technology Design School and the University of the Sunshine Coast School of Nursing and Midwifery in Australia to engage in interdisciplinary formative research that used PhotoStories embedded in a socio-ecological model to highlight collective narratives of Indigenous Health Workers and vulnerable families’ navigation of SUID.

Her research has appeared in numerous edited books and diverse journals including Health Communication, American Journal of Sexuality Education, Communication Teacher, Communication Studies, Journal of Human Sexuality, Sexuality & Culture, Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, Media Education Research Journal and Journal of Digital and Media Literacy. Her co-authored textbook by Rowman & Littlefield is titled Communicating Intimate Health.

DR. VALERIE RUBINSKY

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Valerie Rubinsky (PhD) is an Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Maine Augusta. Her research, which focuses primarily on the relational side of communicating intimacy and intimate health, has appeared in Archives of Sexual Behavior, Communication Quarterly, Health Communication, Communication Studies, Women’s Studies in Communication, the American Journal of Sexuality Education, Sexuality & Culture, and Women & Language, among others.

In addition to directing numerous projects about women and people of diverse genders’ intimate health with the lab, Dr. Rubinsky’s research agenda explores the sexual and relational communication behaviors and needs of underrepresented or marginalized relationships, including those that are LGBTQ, polyamorous, or who practice BDSM. Currently, she is doing research with students on post-abuse disclosures. Dr. Rubinsky lives in Maine with her spouse, Nicole, two cats Benz and Loki, and her dog Deborah.

FACULTY AFFILIATES

DR. CARINA M. ZELAYA

 

Carina M. Zelaya (Ph.D., University of Kentucky, 2022) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park. Carina leverages interpersonal communication and mass media. She studies the impact of interpersonal conversations in cognitive processing of mass media campaign messages and its effects on individuals' perceptions of message effectiveness and future health behaviors.

DR. ELIZABETH A. HINTZ

 

Elizabeth A. Hintz (Ph.D., University of South Florida, 2021) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Connecticut. Elizabeth’s interpersonal and health communication research focuses on understanding the experiences of patients living with complex, stigmatized, and poorly understood health conditions.

 RESEARCH ASSOCIATES

ASHLEY ARAGON

Ashley Aragón is a doctoral candidate and researcher in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research centers on risk and crisis communication, within a health context. Ashley is particularly interested in using communication as a transformative tool to share diverse stories that encourage health autonomy, inform health education, and promote disease prevention. Prior to attending the University of Maryland, Ashley attended California State University, Los Angeles where she received a B.A. and an M.A. in Communication Studies. She currently works with the Los Angeles County Office of Education, as a Program Coordinator, assisting the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team on LA County’s school-based COVID-19 testing program.

JACQUELINE GUNNING

Jacqueline N. Gunning (M.A., University of Nebraska–Lincoln) is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of Connecticut studying interpersonal and health communication. Her research focuses on how individuals approach difficult conversations about health, and how those conversations shape their health behaviors and outcomes. Her recent work has examined how communication (e.g., memorable messages, disenfranchising talk) serves to exacerbate health inequities for individuals of diverse identities, and how individuals/communities can resist ideological and structural power. Her research can be found in journals including Health Communication, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, and Communication Studies, and has been covered by popular press outlets including Healthline, Psychology Today, and Health. She has received multiple top paper awards from the National Communication Association and grant funding from the Organization for Feminist Research on Gender Communication (OFRGC, formerly ORWAC) and Collaborative to Advance Equity through Research on Girls and Women of Color.

KAVITA SHAH

Kavita is a skilled communicator and storyteller based out of Oakland, CA. Her works rests at the intersection of education and public health. She currently serves as the lead curriculum author at Peer Health Exchange, a national health education nonprofit that seeks to empower young people with the knowledge, skills, and resources to make healthy decisions. Kavita received a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Emerson College. She is an avid poet and photographer and comes to the ICL with a passion for building social awareness and empathy through honest, reflective communication and listening.

Kavita is a skilled communicator and storyteller based out of Berkeley, CA. Her works rests at the intersection of education and public health. She currently serves as a Health Program Analyst II for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, liaising between the Office of Communication and Public Affairs and their Center for Health Equity. Kavita received her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Emerson College. She is an avid poet and photographer and comes to the ICL with a passion for building social awareness and empathy through honest, reflective communication and listening.

 RESEARCH COLLABORATORS

MONICA ROLDÁN

Monica Roldán is a researcher and an oral communication instructor from the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles, CA. Monica strives for equitable access to health information and resources for all.

CATHERINE MADDEN

Catherine Madden (AKA catmule) is an information designer and visual story strategist based out of San Francisco, California. She is a lifetime doodler who became fascinated by the power that drawing brought to all aspects of her work, from meeting facilitation, to design prototyping, to synthesis and stakeholder alignment

TAYLOR MCMAHON

Taylor McMahon is a Boston-raised, New York City-living researcher and theater artist. With a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Health Communication background, Taylor fuses her love for art-making with deep, meaningful…

Taylor McMahon is a Boston-raised, New York City-living researcher and theater artist. Taylor’s involvement at the lab spans work in research, writing, and brand marketing to help promote more effective health communication and practices.

SARA BRUYA

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Sara Bruya (AKA edit4.me) is a editor based in St Petersburg, Florida. She offers copyediting and proofreading services plus constructive, educated feedback. She has worked in editorial roles since the 1990s, she most recently served as Managing Editor for Du Bois Review, a journal of social science research, and Transition, a literary and cultural magazine, for Harvard University's Hutchins Center.

PAULINA LAINEZ

Paulina Lainez is an entrepreneur, marketing strategist, professor, and researcher based out of Northern California. After earning her M.A. and B.A. in Communication Studies from California State University, Los Angeles, she began her freelance work…

Paulina Lainez is an entrepreneur, marketing strategist, professor, and researcher based out of Northern California. Paulina’s research interests have always centered on the topics such as Latina’s communication strategies in corporate environments and gender performance and machismo in first-generation Latinos.

JENNIFER OLIVIA

Jennifer Oliva is a freelance professional in marketing and creative services. She specializes in digital marketing efforts such as brand building, social media marketing, content creation, SEO and SEM, as well as Google Analytics. Prior to starting her own consulting business, Jennifer worked in academia most recently having been a part-time instructor at California State University, Los Angeles teaching Public Speaking. She currently works with the Los Angeles County Office of Education as a Public Affairs Specialist assisting the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team on LA County's school COVID-19 testing program.

Jennifer Oliva is a freelance professional in marketing and creative services. She currently works with the Los Angeles County Office of Education as a Public Affairs Specialist assisting the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team on LA County's school COVID-19 testing program.