Damla A Ricks

Damla A Ricks is a Lecturer in the Department of Communication at The University of Texas at Arlington. She holds an MA in Communication Studies from the University of North Texas (2011) and a BA in Communication from UTA (2008). With 15+ years in higher education, her expertise spans teaching courses like Technical & Professional Communication for STEM majors, Public Speaking, and Interview Principles across face-to-face, online, and hybrid formats.

Research Interests:

• Interpersonal Communication
• Health Communication (with focus on mental health counseling)
• Communication Education Strategies for Engineering/Science Students
• Communication Apprehension

Her 2023 publication examines mental health counselors’ listening exhaustion during the pandemic. Active in professional communities, she holds memberships in NCA, ICA, and TAMFT. She serves on curricular development committees, institutional assessment teams, and has reviewed for journals like Qualitative Research in Medicine and Healthcare.

Teaching highlights include instructing over 20 sections of Professional Technical Communication since 2014, alongside Interview Principles and Public Speaking courses. She has been a faculty mentor for peer evaluations and participates in professional learning communities.