Vaccination Research Group

VRG Members

Dr. Bernice L. Hausman, PhD

Founder of VRG

Department of English

Bernice Hausman is professor of English and professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. She teaches graduate and under graduate courses in
medical humanities and medical rhetoric. She is the author of three books--Changing Sex: Transsexualism, Technology, and the Idea of Gender (Duke 1995), Mother's Milk: Breastfeeding Controversies in American Culture (Routledge 2003), and Viral Mothers: Breastfeeding in the Age of HIV/AIDS (Michigan 2011)--and coeditor of Beyond Health, Beyond Choice: Breastfeeding Constraints and Realities (Rutgers 2012).

Dr. Clare Dannenberg, PhD

Mentor of VRG

Department of English

As a sociolinguist, Professor Dannenberg examines the correlations between language and identity (both individual and communal), and analyzes language as it is spoken collecting, extracting and analyzing data and offering qualitative as well as quantitative explanations for language patterns and change. She researches issues in social, ethnic, regional, and gender identities, challenging traditional sociolinguistic assumptions about language boundaries and the trajectory of language change with respect to these identities.

Heidi Lawrence

PhD Candidate

Department of English

Heidi Lawrence is a fourth year Doctoral Candidate in the Rhetoric and Writing PhD program at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on public controversies around vaccination, specifically focusing on professional discourses (created and exchanged by doctors, nurses, and public health officials) about vaccinations and how they inform the public about the benefits of vaccines.
Areas of Interest: medical rhetoric, rhetorical theory, professional communication

Philip Hayek

PhD, First Year

Department of English

Philip received a BA in English and an MA in Writing, Rhetoric & Discourse from DePaul University, where he was an adjunct instructor in the First-Year Writing program before coming to Virginia Tech. He is working towards his PhD and hoping to teach in one of Virginia Tech's lecture halls as soon as he completes his degree.
Areas of Interest: Wartime censorship of the influenza pandemic and military appropriation of vaccination resources during that period.

Dasha Nesterova

Undergraduate Researcher

Department of Biological Sciences

Darya Nesterova is a Senior undergraduate student majoring in Biological Sciences with a minor in Medicine & Society. She is interested in pursuing a career in medicine, particularly in public health. After graduating, she hopes to attend medical school.
Areas of Interest: public health issues, medical history, and clinical & social sciences research

Mecal Ghemremichael

Undergraduate Researcher

Department of Psychology


Mecal Ghebremichael is a Senior undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with minors in Medicine & Society and International Studies. After graduation she hopes to go on and receive a Masters in Public Health.

Areas of Interest: public health, psychology, and international studies

Erin Mack

Undergraduate Researcher

Department of Biological Sciences

Erin Mack is a Senior undergraduate student majoring in Biology with minors in Medicine & Society and Leadership & Social Change. She is planning on applying to medical schools in the upcoming year.

Areas of Interest: public health and international medicine

Aimee Sutherland

Undergraduate Researcher

Department of Biological Sciences

Aimee is a Senior undergraduate student majoring in Human Nutrition Foods & Exercise with a minor in Medicine & Society. After graduation she hopes to go on and attend medical school to continue researching medicine.

Areas of Interest: public health and clinical & social sciences research

Sarah Brown

Web Developer

Department of English


Sarah Brown is a Senior undergraduate student majoring in English, Professional Writing. She is passionate about enhancing her career in digital advertising, relationship marketing, and web content.

Areas of Interest: web analytics, marketing, and content development

 

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