George Mason Communication professor seeks to research new area of Health Communication Field

By Danielle House

When college students enter a classroom, we frequently disregard the possibility that many of professors have made significant contributions to their field outside of the classroom. Some professors have respectably chosen to dedicate their knowledge and talents to education; others take on projects that produce knowledge and introduce new concepts to their fields of study. At George Mason University, many professors make significant contributions inside and outside of the classroom. Dr. Anne Nicotera, Associate Chair of the Department of Communication, is one professor who works just as hard on research projects as she does to educate students.
Dr. Nicotera received her PhD in Organizational and Interpersonal Communication from the Ohio University School of Interpersonal Communication in 1990. Since then, she has produced a vast amount of new research for the Communication field. In 2003, Dr. Nicotera published a large scale survey of two organizations that became the beginning of the development of her theory on communication and meaning structures that she has applied to nursing. Her latest work includes ground breaking research in the study of communication between nurses. She has paid special attention to the way communication affects the nursing work environment including variables such as turnover rates and patient care.
Recently, Dr. Nicotera’s research efforts have received a significant amount of attention. Along with partners from George Mason’s nursing department, Dr. Nicotera is leading a research project in which a local hospital will survey their entire nursing staff to collect data on communication practices in the hospital. Her passion for this cause is apparent when she speaks about the efforts of this initiative.
“This research project is very exciting because it will give us a large data set that has previously been unexplored; we will be able to study how communication between nurses relates to patient care and give us clues as to how we can help improve nurse’s organizational communication to better patient care and increase retention of nursing staff in hospitals.”
The results of Dr. Nicotera’s research project will influence future theories and communication practices in the nursing field.
In addition to her exciting research efforts, Dr. Nicotera is working hard to improve George Mason University’s Communication Department. As the new Associate Chair, Dr. Nicotera is very excited about the department’s growth and development. In addition to her distinguished resume and accomplishments, there are many other faculty members of the Communication department who are internationally recognized in the field. “I want students to realize that the faculty members of our department are top knowledge producers; they are people who work hard to contribute research and theories to their field as well as educate aspiring communication professionals,” she said. She also noted that the faculty includes internationally respected professionals in all areas of communication.
Dr. Anne Nicotera is making quite an impact on the communication field. The results of her research project will affect the communication practices of the nursing profession. She is constantly working to improve George Mason University’s Communication program which will benefit its students. As George Mason’s students enter the professional field, they will contribute the knowledge they received in their degree programs. Dr. Nicotera’s research projects and impact on her students will certainly improve the communication field.