![\"\"](\"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/comm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/187\/2023\/09\/Melinda-Weathers-214x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Dr. Melinda \u201cMindy\u201d Weathers is one of the two new faculty tha<\/span>t has joined the communication department this semester at Western Carolina University.<\/p>\n \u201cI chose Western because of the university\u2019s strong commitment to academic excellence and its diverse and talented student body,\u201d said Weathers. \u201cWestern provides an ideal environment for teaching and research, with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration that aligns perfectly with my research interests in Health Communication.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She received her doctorate in Health Communication from George Mason University, her master\u2019s degree in Speech Communication from the University of Houston and her bachelor\u2019s degree in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHealth Communication is crucial to teach because it equips students with essential skills that can have a profound impact on public health outcomes,\u201d said Weathers. \u201cIn an era of information overload, teaching effective communication in healthcare settings is vital.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Weathers was drawn to the opportunity to explore how communication strategies can enhance patient-provider interactions, public health, health education, and overall well being.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy research interests in Health Communication stem from a passion for improving health experiences and outcomes,\u201d said Weathers. \u201cI have seen the transformative power of effective communication in healthcare settings, and I’m dedicated to exploring innovative ways to enhance it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Weathers is a first-generation college student who, outside of teaching, enjoys reading, spending time with her husband and twin daughters and traveling to adventurous places.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy favorite memory is from our trip to South Africa, where we went shark cage diving in Gansbaai, arguably the best shark cage diving destination in the world,\u201d said Weathers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Her favorite part of Western and the communication department so far is the strong sense of community and collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe university fosters an environment where students and faculty work closely together to address real-world challenges,\u201d said Weathers. \u201cI’ve been inspired by the enthusiasm and dedication of both my students and colleagues, making every day at Western an enriching experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Weathers was born and raised in Allen, Texas and has lived in Texas, Virginia and South Carolina. She has taught at Clemson University and Sam Houston State University before coming to Western.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dr. Melinda \u201cMindy\u201d Weathers is one of the two new faculty that has joined the communication department this semester at Western Carolina University. \u201cI chose Western because of the university\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3345,"featured_media":9648,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[103,88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-focus","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/comm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/comm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/comm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/comm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3345"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/comm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17950"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/comm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17954,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/comm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17950\/revisions\/17954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/comm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/comm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/comm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/comm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}