Professor of Communication Kathryn Greene has been named a Fellow of the International Communication Association (ICA). The announcement was made at the 74th Annual ICA Conference held in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia from June 20-24, 2024.

“We are so proud of Kathryn for earning the prestigious status of ICA Fellow,” said SC&I Interim Dean Dafna Lemish. “As a leading and award-winning scholar in the field of health communication, her contributions are being recognized by this much-deserved honor. It is a moment of celebration not only to her, but for the Communication Department and the school as a whole!”

According to the ICA, “Fellow status in the International Communication Association (ICA) is primarily a recognition of distinguished scholarly contributions to the broad field of communication. The primary consideration for nomination to Fellow status is a documented record of scholarly achievement. Secondary consideration is given to such criteria as service to ICA and socially or professionally significant service to other publics.”

The ICA added, “As of the annual ICA census (August 2021), living ICA fellows account for 4.5% of overall membership.” This prestigious ICA award in 2024 follows Greene’s recognition in 2023 by the National Communication Association (NCA) with five awards.

SC&I Professor of Communication Itzhak Yanovitzky nominated Greene. In his nomination letter, Yanovitzky stated that Greene “is well deserving of the distinction of an ICA Fellow in recognition of the valuable and sustained contributions she has made to the study of communication and its applications to health and wellbeing. Her scholarship asks conceptually rich questions, charts new directions for communication research, and makes a real difference in people’s lives. In addition, she has a strong record of successfully mentoring junior scholars in the field with a real-world impact on improving health and wellness outcomes for patients and other populations.”

This prestigious ICA award in 2024 follows Greene’s recognition in 2023 by the National Communication Association (NCA) with five awards.

Greene is a member of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and holds a Joint Appointment with The Rutgers School of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy. Greene is also an Affiliate of the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies (INTS). In April 2024 Greene was named a chair of the Rutgers Institutional Review Board (IRB), which is charged with the protection of the rights and welfare of human research participants and facilitating ethical research.

Greene's research program explores health decision-making related to various health risks or the central role of communication in preventing risk and maintaining health and wellness in individuals and populations. This program of research explores how communication can be used to enhance health and wellness, especially for at-risk populations such as under resourced youth and health-compromised individuals. The two main thrusts of this distinct but overlapping research 1) how people choose to share or conceal health information; and 2) involvement and message features in health promotion and campaigns. Greene’s published research is available here.

“ICA aims to advance the scholarly study of communication by encouraging and facilitating excellence in academic research worldwide,” according to the The International Communication Association (ICA). “ICA began more than 50 years ago as a small association of U.S. researchers and is now a truly international association with more than 5,000 members in over 80 countries. Since 2003, ICA has been officially associated with the United Nations as a non-governmental association (NGO).”  

To read the ICA official announcement, please visit the ICA "Latest News" page. 

Learn more about the Communication Department at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website.