UofM鈥檚 Dr. Joy V. Goldsmith wins prestigious Bernard J. Brommel Award from the National Communication Association
Sept. 10, 2020 鈥� Dr. Joy V. Goldsmith, University of Memphis professor of Communication Studies and founder and co-director of the UofM Center for Health Literacy and Health Communication, recently received the 2020 Bernard J. Brommel Award for Outstanding Scholarship or Distinguished Service in Family Communication from the National Communication Association (NCA).
鈥淭he family caregiver has always had my heart in research,鈥� said Goldsmith. 鈥淐aregiving brought me into the discipline, and I am so lucky that I have had the chance to research the phenomenon, work on tools to help caregivers and support health care providers as they see the increasing need to care for the caregiver.鈥�
The Brommel Award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the area of family communication. Goldsmith鈥檚 research lies at the intersection of family and health communication, with a particular interest in family interactions surrounding chronically- and terminally-ill patients. Particularly meaningful is the COMFORT model, developed with Dr. Elaine Wittenberg, which locates the family as central to end-of-life care. Moreover, their work contributes not only to theory, but also to practice, as they actively apply their work in teaching and training health practitioners.
鈥淣CA鈥檚 annual awards honor communication scholars鈥� teaching, scholarship and service,鈥� said NCA executive director Trevor Parry-Giles. 鈥淣CA is proud to recognize Dr. Goldsmith鈥檚 significant contributions to the Communication discipline with this award.鈥�
Goldsmith鈥檚 award will be presented virtually on Nov. 21 at the 106th NCA Annual Convention. For more information about NCA鈥檚 awards program, visit http://www.natcom.org/awards/.
Goldsmith has just published, Caring for the Family Caregiver, a book that examines the high cost and poorly addressed exigencies of the family caregiver in chronic illness, including health literacy, palliative care and health outcomes through the prism of communication.