Laura L Ellingson

Laura L Ellingson holds the Patrick A. Donohoe, S.J. Professorship in the Department of Communication at Santa Clara University. She is an active faculty member whose work bridges communication, health, and disability studies through innovative qualitative and arts-based methodologies.

Her research interests include:

• Health Communication
• Disability Studies
• Autoethnography
• Embodiment
• Feminist Research
• Qualitative Methods
• Narrative Inquiry
• Arts-Based Research

Ellingson's scholarship critically examines lived experiences of disability, chronic illness, and cancer survivorship, often employing creative approaches such as crystallization and photovoice to challenge ableist norms and advocate for equity. Her work emphasizes embodiment in communication research and practice, with significant contributions to methodological innovation in health and disability contexts. She explores how creative expression can amplify marginalized voices and transform academic and healthcare environments.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2021-2025) reveals consistent methodological innovation centered on autoethnographic and narrative frameworks. Key thematic trajectories include disability justice in academia (particularly neurodiversity through #AutisticsInAcademia and dyslexia research), embodiment across health conditions (cancer, voice loss, mobility), and linguistic reframing of disability. Her work demonstrates increasing engagement with intersectional approaches that connect disability studies with critical health communication, feminist theory, and creative arts-based inquiry.

No scientific awards were mentioned in the available documentation.

Details regarding Dr. Ellingson's graduate student advising, grant funding history, or formal mentorship programs are not specified in current public materials.

Information about dedicated research laboratories or institutional research teams led by Dr. Ellingson was not identified in the provided sources.