Dr. Elizabeth Dorrance Hall
Elizabeth Dorrance Hall is an Associate Professor in the Communication Department at Michigan State University. She received her Ph.D. in Family and Interpersonal Communication from Purdue University in 2015. Elizabeth's research focuses on difficult conversations and how relationships evolve over time, especially in families and other intimate relationships. Her current projects focus on changes in perceptions of family member marginalization over the life course, difficult family conversations, parent-child communication about STEM education and career opportunities (funded by a National Science Foundation CAREER Award), and women's experiences in "traditionally male" career fields. Elizabeth’s writing is published widely in Communication and Social Psychology journals and in public-facing outlets such as Psychology Today. Elizabeth is a Fulbright Scholar (Slovenia, 2021). She was recently honored with the Early Career Award from the Family Communication Division of the National Communication Association.
Dr. Kristina M. Scharp
Kristina M. Scharp is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Rutgers University. She received her Ph.D in Family, Interpersonal, and Health Communication from The University of Iowa in 2014. Kristina researches difficult relationship transitions and the ways people cope with the disruptions to their lives. Her current projects focus on parent-child estrangement, LGBTQ adolescents who are rejected by their parents, and health diagnoses. Kristina's work has been published in outlets such as Communication Monographs, Communication Research, Human Communication Research, and the Journal of Communication. Featured frequently in the popular press (e.g., NPR, NYT, Washington Post), Kristina was recently awarded the Early Career Scholar Award from the International Communication Association and the Distinguished Article Award from the Family Communication Division of the National Communication Association.