Christa B. Teston

Christa B. Teston is the Andrea Lunsford Designated Professor of English and Vice Chair of Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy Studies at The Ohio State University. She directs the Business and Technical Writing programs and teaches courses on rhetoric, ethics, and writing pedagogy. Her research focuses on medical rhetoric, the 'evidential backstage' in scientific practices, and the intersections of disability studies and digital media. She holds a PhD from Kent State University (2009).

• Education: PhD, Kent State University, 2009

Her work critiques the fetishization of certainty in medical and scientific contexts, advocating for an ethic of care that acknowledges bodily flux and human fragility. Major publications include Bodies in Flux: Scientific Methods for Negotiating Medical Uncertainty (2017) and Doing Dignity: Ethical Praxis and the Politics of Care (forthcoming). She leads the Human Dignity Project, investigating care practices during the pandemic and in clinical settings. Awards include the 2019 ARSTM Best Book Award and the Ratner Distinguished Teaching Award (2019).

Her grants include IRB-approved studies on dignified care practices, medical aid-in-dying legislation, and neurodiverse writing pedagogies. She co-edits the New Directions in Rhetoric and Materiality book series and has held leadership roles in professional organizations.