Tess Laidlaw

Tess Laidlaw is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University, affiliated with the Professional Studies academic unit. Her academic journey includes a BSc from the University of Winnipeg, an MA in Journalism from the University of Western Ontario, and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies (Rhetoric and Media Studies) from the University of Saskatchewan.

Her research focuses on rhetorical theory applied to health communication, including critical discourse analysis of institutional language around illness, racialization dynamics in disease outbreaks, and the symbolic representation of healthcare. Current projects include collaborative investigations into historical leper colonies in Atlantic Canada and the rhetorical framing of dark tourism, alongside an autoethnographic study of curriculum design as meditative inquiry.

Laidlaw teaches communication and public relations courses at undergraduate and graduate levels, including her pioneering Rhetorics of Health and Illness graduate course. Her professional background spans roles in public relations at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and vaccine research organizations, complemented by technical experience in biochemistry and microbiology laboratories.

Her scholarship includes peer-reviewed articles on pandemic journalism, interdisciplinary methodologies, and media training efficacy. She has supervised three MA theses and contributed to teaching initiatives aimed at improving first-year student transitions. Collaborative research with Dr. John Moffatt explores historical health narratives through a rhetorical lens.