Julie Novak

Julie Novak is an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Wayne State University, affiliated with the Department of Communication. Her work bridges theory and practice to advance compassionate, human-centered knowledge creation in applied contexts.

• Ph.D., North Dakota State University
• M.S., Cornell University
• B.S. & B.A., University of Minnesota

Dr. Novak specializes in applied communication within health contexts, with a focus on:

• Risk and crisis communication in health and food safety
• Democratic communication practices in high-risk organizations
• Disability narratives through autoethnographic methods

Her current projects examine crisis communication strategies for marginalized communities (Detroit's Middle Eastern and Arab American populations), the CDC's organizational learning from the 2001 Anthrax Crisis, and risk communication frameworks for foodborne illness outbreaks. Publications like her 2010 work on food contamination warnings demonstrate interdisciplinary integration of disaster response and communication theory.

Dr. Novak teaches courses spanning business communication, health communication, organizational communication, and qualitative research methods. She actively engages in pedagogical leadership as Director of Undergraduate Studies.