Lab Members
Current Postdocs
Michaela D. Mullis, Ph.D.
Ph.D., University of Florida
M.A., Auburn University
B.A. and B.A.J., University of Georgia
Dr. Michaela D. Mullis is a current post-doctoral research associate in the Family·Health·Lifespan Communication Lab and Communication in Healthcare Lab at the University of Florida. Dr. Mullis is a family communication and health scientist, with a specialization in family communication through transitional phases across the lifespan, including divorce/separation, disease diagnosis, and cancer survivorship. Implementing both a critical and interpretive lens, she utilizes multi-method qualitative designs with supplemental quantitative approaches.
Dr. Mullis has worked on research projects that aim to sustain family health and resilience across the lifespan through various contexts. This includes NIEHS funded research on mother-daughter breast cancer communication, multiple studies on family caregiving and blood cancers with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Department of Defense funded research on diabetes coping and military family communication. Her dissertation focused on turning points that impact relational connections during parental alienation, a stigmatized family distancing experience during divorce. Her work has been instrumental in identifying the challenges encountered as alienated, estranged parents and young adult children attempt to reconnect. With this work, she aims to help families navigate distanced relationships and build informational resources for legal and mental health professionals in the family divorce field.
Currently, Dr. Mullis is working on projects within the communication labs on support needs and experiences of older (75+) blood cancer patients, caregiver experiences across transitions of blood cancer survivorship care, doctor-patient communication about online misinformation, and mother-young-adult daughter communication after a breast cancer diagnosis. Her research has been published in journals such as Supportive Care in Cancer, Families, Systems, & Health, Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender, & Society, Sex Education, and Journal of Cancer Education.
Current Research Assistants
Diliara Bagautdinova, M.A.
Ph.D. in progress University of Florida
M.A. University of South Florida
B.A. University of South Florida
Diliara Bagautdinova is a second-year doctoral student specializing in health communication at the University of Florida. Her research focuses on provider-patient communication and family communication in the context of cancer and mental health, primarily utilizing mixed-methods and qualitative designs.
She has worked on collaborative research teams of physicians and scientists, including federally funded grants. This includes a recent study aimed at developing and pilot testing a conversation aid to support shared decision making among patients and providers related to thyroid nodule diagnosis and management. She also has a forthcoming publication as lead author on mental health and family communication in The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication.
In Dr. Fisher’s Lab, she has been actively working on multiple family health communication projects. Currently she is leading a study to explore sibling related experiences of adult child blood cancer caregivers, which was funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Taylor S. Vasquez, M.A.
Ph.D. in progress University of Florida
M.A. University of Florida
B.S. University of Florida
Taylor S. Vasquez is a second-year doctoral student studying interpersonal health and family communication at the University of Florida. Here research aims to complete the full circle of support for healthcare providers through examining interpersonal and lifespan phenomena within their intimate romantic relationships. She has worked with communication scholars, clinicians, and scientists, including collaborating on federally funded grants. This includes a grant working to develop a training intervention for primary care providers to enhance communication with patients regarding cancer clinical trials and a project partnered with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that aims to build programs for caregivers of a family diagnosed with a blood cancer. She has published on this topic and has done work in graduate medical education as well examining various burnout reduction programs, the results of which have been published in her lead-authored systematic review. As a research assistant in the Family·Health·Lifespan Communication Lab, Taylor has spearheaded the analysis of a study that investigates what caregivers report enhances their communication with their family as part of a larger caregiver study and continues to collaborate on numerous health and family communication projects.
Alana Curley
High School Student, Bryam Hills Authentic Science Research Program
Alana Curley is a sophomore in the Authentic Science Research Program at Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York. She will be working under the mentorship of Dr. Fisher over the next two years to conduct research focusing on understanding the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on mother-daughter relationships and on helping mothers and daughters understand the roles they can play when their counterpart is diagnosed with breast cancer. She is also interested in how communication patterns in mother-daughter relationships influence the coping process of breast cancer. Her other experiences include being a member of the Youth Committee at Gilda’s Club, supporting families impacted by cancer, and founding We SAVE the World, a student-led organization against human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Former Postdocs and Research Assistants
Dr. Camella J. Rising, Research Fellow, Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute
Dr. Mollie Rose Canzona, Associate Professor, Department of Communication; Wake Forest University School of Medicine; Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University; Center for Bioethics, Health & Society
Dr. Nicole Piemonte, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Peekie Nash Carpenter Endowed Chair in Medicine, Dept. of Medical Humanities, Creighton University School of Medicine, Phoenix Regional Campus
Dr. Gemme Campbell-Salome, Assistant Professor, Genomic Medicine Institute, Department of Population Health Sciences, Geisinger
Dr. Amanda Kastrinos, M.A., NCI T32 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences (COMSKIL Laboratory and the Cancer Caregivers Clinic), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Dr. Easton N. Wollney, Postdoctoral Associate, Division of Health Outcomes and Implementation Science, Dept of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, The University of Florida
Dr. Greenberry Taylor, Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication, Department of Communication, Flagler College, Saint Augustine, FL
Yewande Addie, Ph.D. and M.P.H. in progress, University of Florida