Margaret M. Quinlan

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Margaret M. Quinlan, Ph.D.

is a professor in the Department of Communication Studies, director of the Health & Medical Humanities Program in Interdisciplinary Studies, and core faculty member in the interdisciplinary health psychology Ph.D. program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her work delves into the intersection of communication, medicine, science, and technology. Dr. Quinlan investigates how communication shapes our understanding of medical expertise, illness, wellness, treatment, and health. She also explores the transformative power of communication in shaping knowledge about bodies. Beyond academia, she champions social justice by critiquing power structures and advocating for marginalized individuals within and outside healthcare systems. Dr. Quinlan has authored numerous journal articles, book chapters, and co-produced documentaries, including an Emmy award-winning series, (name of series). Her research spans women’s reproductive health, social media, and practitioner-patient communication. She contributes to a deeper understanding of how we perceive and engage with health and healing through her work.

Dr. Quinlan, a prolific researcher, has contributed to a diverse range of scholarly journals, including Health Communication, Text & Performance Quarterly, Disability Studies Quarterly, Communication Education, Women & Language, Women’s Reproductive Health, Qualitative Research in Medicine and Healthcare, International Journal of Health and Media Research, Sexuality & Culture, Journal of Research in Special Education Needs, and Journal of Holistic Nursing.

In collaboration with Bethany Johnson, she co-authored the book “You’re Doing It Wrong! Mothering, Media, and Medical Expertise,” published by Rutgers University Press. This engaging work delves into the historical portrayal of mothering expertise in the media, spanning from the nineteenth century to today’s digital landscape. By examining newspapers, magazines, doctors’ records, and personal papers, Johnson and Quinlan uncover intriguing parallels between contemporary mothering experts and their Victorian counterparts. Moreover, they explore how social media has intensified the pressures faced by new mothers, addressing familiar concerns and crises from pre-conception through early toddlerhood.

Background

Education

  • D., Ohio University
  • S., Illinois State University
  • S., Marist College

Areas of Interest

  • Health, Organizational and Performative Communication
  • Ethnography, Narrative/Interpretive/Rhetorical/Feminist Analyses
  • Social justice issues that affect marginalized populations, including disability rights and gender inequities
  • Women’s Reproductive Health
  • Social Media, Medical Expertise, Motherhood
  • Public Perception
  • Practitioner: “Sex-selection,” infertility, infant loss, childbirth, breastfeeding, postpartum issues, premature birth, maternal mortality, and developmental milestones
  • Fat Pregnancy Communication Theory
  • Interpersonal Health Communication
  • Gendered Health Communication
  • Visual Ethnography
  • Health & Media

Faculty Affiliations

  • Professor, Communication Studies
  • Core Faculty, Interdisciplinary Health Psychology Ph.D. Program
  • Program Director, Interdisciplinary Program, Health & Medical Humanities
  • Faculty Associate, Center for Professional and Applied Ethics
  • Affiliate Faculty, Public Health Sciences Ph.D. Program
  • Research Affiliate, Women + Girls Research Alliance
  • Affiliate Faculty, Women’s, and Gender Studies

Research-Projects and Service