Elaine Hsieh

Elaine Hsieh is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Minnesota, within the College of Liberal Arts. She also serves as an Affiliate Faculty member in Health Law & Bioethics at the University of Minnesota Law School and holds a Visiting Professor position at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on health communication, cross-cultural care, and bioethics, with an emphasis on interpreter-mediated interactions and marginalized populations. She earned a Ph.D. in Health Communication from the University of Illinois, a J.D. in Health Law and Bioethics from the University of Oklahoma, and advanced degrees in translation and interpretation, Chinese, and English Literature.

Education:

• Ph.D., Health Communication, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2004
• J.D., Health Law, University of Oklahoma, 2019
• M.A., Translation & Interpretation (Chinese-English), Monterey Institute of International Studies, 1999
• B.A., Chinese & English Literature, National Central University, Taiwan, 1997

Research Interests: Dr. Hsieh’s work examines the intersections of culture, language, and healthcare. Her studies include interpreter-mediated medical encounters, healthcare equity, and bioethical challenges in genomic medicine. She emphasizes actionable solutions through interdisciplinary collaboration, such as her current project on neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) interpreting practices funded by the Masonic Cross-Departmental Grant.

Awards & Honors:

• Edith Kinney Gaylord Presidential Professor (2022)
• Fulbright Scholar (2015-2016)
• Distinguished Book Award, National Communication Association (2016)
• 2024 Fellow, Big Ten Academic Alliance’s Department Executive Officers Program

Advising & Grants: Dr. Hsieh has mentored over 20 graduate students, including those in bioethics, health communication, and translation studies. She leads interdisciplinary projects funded by NIH, NSF, and international bodies, focusing on language equity and healthcare policy. Her grants include a 2024-2026 study on Somali families’ use of informal interpreters in NICUs.

Labs & Collaborations: While not tied to a specific lab, her work involves collaborations across medical, legal, and public health institutions, including the University of Minnesota’s Center for Bioethics and global partners in Asia, Europe, and the U.S.