Sara Docan-Morgan

Sara Docan-Morgan is a Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, affiliated with the College of Liberal Studies. Her research focuses on the communication dynamics of transnational Korean adoptees, family identity formation, and race and culture in adoptive and birth family contexts. She holds a PhD from the University of Washington and has taught at institutions including the University of Arizona and community colleges in the Bay Area. Notably, she served as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Seoul (2016-17).

Her academic contributions include a monograph In Reunion: Transnational Korean Adoptees and the Communication of Family (2024) and over a dozen peer-reviewed articles in Adoption Quarterly, Journal of Family Communication, and others. She co-edits the Journal of Family Communication and has been recognized for teaching excellence, including the UW-L Eagle Teaching Award (2014) and UW System’s Outstanding Woman of Color in Education honor. She collaborates on initiatives like the Women of Color Collective grant (2019) to promote inclusive academic environments.

Docan-Morgan’s research bridges communication theory with real-world adoption narratives, emphasizing how discursive practices shape identity and belonging across cultural and familial divides. Her work often addresses the complexities of adoptee communication, including boundary management, cultural belonging, and the negotiation of dual family identities.