Dr. Alexis Johnson

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Alexis Johnson is originally from Chicago Illinois. She recieved her Bachleor's from the University of Chicago, Masters from Northeastern Illinois University, and Doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her dissertation was titled "Evaluating family caregivers' memorable messages of social support in the context of cancer." You can access her dissertation here: Dr. Johnson's Dissertation
Dr. Johnson joined the ATU faculty in August of 2015. Her research centers on how people cope with and make sense of narratives involving difficulty and trauma within families, health (e.g., cancer, end-of-life care, mental health, chronic illness, disability, and terminal illness), and marginalized groups.

EDUCATION HISTORY

BA in Communication-University of Illinois Chicago
MA in Communication, Media, and Theatre- Northeastern Illinois University
PHD in Communication- University of Nebraska-Lincoln

AWARDS & HONORS

Top Paper (Spring, 2023)
Central States Communication Association
Awarded in the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Caucus
CSCA Committee Chair Award (Spring 2023)
Central States Communication Association
Awarded for exceptional service for serving as Chair on the Pearson and Nelson New Teacher Award
Top Service Award (Fall, 2021)
National Communication Association
Awarded for exceptional service serving in the Spiritual Communication Division.
Top Reviewer Designation (Fall, 2020)
National Communication Association
Awarded for extraordinary service in reviewing to the Ethnography Division.
ATU Arts and Humanities Mentor Award (Spring, 2020)
Arkansas Tech University Awarded for outstanding student mentorship

PUBLISHED WORK

Johnson, A.Z. (January, 2021). Living in Silence in a World Full of Noise: AnAutoethnography of Hearing Impairment. Journal of Autoethnography (Special Issue).

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders¹ approximately 37.5 million American adults aged eighteen and over report some trouble hearing. Despite the number of people affected by hearing impairment, the hard of hearing and deaf population are underrepresented. The hearing-impaired community faces a myriad of challenges in their daily lives communicating and relating to others. Unfortunately, there is a lack of resources for the hard of hearing and deaf population in schools, and a lack of affordability for hearing aids in the healthcare field. In this critical autoethnography, the author focuses on her experiences of coping with and navigating her world as a hearing-impaired individual. The autoethnographic account explores the author’s face-to-face encounters with her peers, audiologist, medical practitioners, and personal relationships centering her research on the communication barriers that often come with hearing loss including adjustments to sound, relating to others, and overcoming obstacles due to the lack of resources. The stories shared aim to illustrate how those with hearing impairments are disempowered in a world that is geared toward the hearing abled.

Kellas, J.K., Castle, K., Johnson, A.Z., Cohen, M. (2019). Cancer as Communal: Understanding Communication and Relationships from the Perspectives of Survivors, Family Caregivers, and Health Care Providers, Health Communication, DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2019.168395

With cancer increasing in prevalence and high priorities placed on concurrent oncological and palliative care to help meet the familial, spiritual, and individual needs of stakeholders in cancer, research is needed that assesses the factors that facilitate coping across stakeholders in cancer care. We were interested in synthesizing our understanding of communication and relationships among patients, caregivers, and providers based on the reasoning that illness is relational, but often conceptualized and researched from the individual perspectives of various stakeholders. The current study examined the experiences of relational and communication opportunities and challenges during cancer for current and former family caregivers, cancer survivors, and palliative and oncology health care practitioners. The thematic analysis of 30 semi-structured interviews revealed an overarching theme on the benefits of orienting toward cancer as communal, which was, in turn, facilitated or impeded by four additional themes/sets of behaviors: support, presence, perspective-taking, and reframing hope. Results of a cross-case data matrix analysis reveal that stakeholders in different roles experience qualitative differences in their experience of cancer as communal, isolated, or ambivalent. Implications for education, palliative care, and interventions are discussed.

Kellas, J.K, Castle, K., Johnson, A.Z., Cohen, M. (2017). Communicatively Constructing the Bright and Dark Sides of Hope: Family Caregivers’ Experiences During End of Life Cancer Care. Behavioral Sciences. 7(2). 33-45.

(1) Background: The communication of hope is complicated, particularly for family caregivers in the context of cancer who struggle to maintain hope for themselves and their loved ones in the face of terminality. In order to understand these complexities, the current study examines the bright and dark sides of how hope is communicated across the cancer journey from the vantage point of bereaved family caregivers; (2) Methods: We analyzed interviews with bereaved family caregivers using qualitative thematic and case oriented strategies to identify patterns in the positive and negative lived experiences when communicating about hope at the end of life; (3) Results: Two overarching patterns of hope emerged. Those who experienced hope as particularized (focused on cure) cited communication about false hope, performing (faking it), and avoidance. Those who transitioned from particularized to generalized hope (hope for a good death) reported acceptance, the communication of hope as social support, prioritizing family, and balancing hope and honesty; (4) Conclusion: Family caregivers face myriad complexities in managing the bright and dark sides of hope. Interventions should encourage concurrent oncological and palliative care, increased perspective-taking among family members, and encourage the transition from particularized to generalized hope.

Recently Taught Courses

COMM 1003 - INTRO TO COMMUNICATION
COMM 2003 - PUBLIC SPEAKING
COMM 2173 - BUSINESS/PROF SPEAKING
COMM 3003 - INTERPERSONAL COMM
COMM 3053 - HEALTH COMMUNICATION
COMM 4053 - SEM: NARRATIVE & STORYTELLING
COMM 4173 - INTERNSHIP SPH COMMUNICATION
COMM 5053 - SEM: NARRATIVE & STORYTELLING