Lena Zhang

Lena Zhang is a Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Broadcast & Electronic Communication Arts at San Francisco State University (SFSU), where she has taught since 1999. She specializes in media aesthetics, digital media, video field production, and corporate/institutional video production. Prior to academia, she worked as a producer and editor for documentaries, TV commercials, PSAs, and educational programs.

Her research focuses on international communication, multicultural communication, and health-related media studies. Notable projects include studies on cancer prevention media, funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI), alongside collaborations with medical practitioners at UCSF. She holds a Cancer Researcher Training certificate from Stanford University and has conducted research at the National Cancer Institute.

Professional roles include board memberships at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), Broadcast Education Association (BEA), and the Hollywood College Advisory at Hollywood Creative Connection. She has served as a media consultant for the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) and International Telemedicine Networks (ITN) since 2006 and 2008, respectively.

Dr. Zhang was a visiting scholar at Yale University’s Digital Media Center (School of Arts and Architecture) in 1998. Her work bridges media production, health communication, and international policy analysis.