Debra J. Ford University of Kansas School of Nursing

Debra J. Ford (Ph.D., University of Kansas) is assistant dean for student affairs and research assistant professor at the University of Kansas School of Nursing. She also teaches in the University of Kansas Department of Communication Studies. She has worked for twelve years in recruitment, advising and administration in nursing education, and has taught for ten years. She teaches courses in organizational communication, organizational rhetoric, leadership, communication theory and health communication. Her research focuses on strategies used by organizations to influence public policy, group communication processes in public-private partnerships, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She has published articles in Communication Theory, Health Communication, Western Journal of Communication, and Communication Studies, among others. She is the principal investigator on a U. S. Dept. of Education GAANN grant.