Tamara Powell

Tamara Powell serves as an Assistant Professor of Teaching Practice in the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado Denver, where she teaches Organizational Communication (4240/5240) and Advanced Health Communication (4500).

Her educational background includes a PhD and MA in Communication from the University of California San Diego (2013, 2010) and a BA in Anthropology and Sociology from the University of California Los Angeles (2007).

Dr. Powell's research centers on health and organizational communication within caring professions, utilizing cultural-historical activity theory and qualitative methods to examine healthcare team collaboration, medical education for health equity, and patient/parishioner empowerment. Her work emphasizes community partnerships and experiential learning frameworks to address disparities in care outcomes.

She actively partners with CU Anschutz providers and local faith leaders in applied research, with publications appearing in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, Pediatrics in Review, Business Insider, and The Muse. Her community engagement focuses on translating research into practical health equity initiatives through faith-based and clinical collaborations.