Karen Shalev

Ph.D. Student and Graduate Assistant

Department of Communication

Education

Bio

Karen Shalev is a PhD student in Communication at the University of Connecticut. Her research bridges strategic communication and health communication, with a focus on reducing communication inefficiencies in healthcare organizations. She examines how communication processes can be streamlined to reduce time and burden, lower costs, and strengthen relationships among internal and external stakeholders at all levels of healthcare organizations. Her work prioritizes applied impact in collaboration with practitioners, focusing on translating research into actionable strategies that improve organizational efficiency, clinician well-being, and patient outcomes. She specializes in qualitative methods and complements these with quantitative analyses. By connecting communication theory with real-world practice, Karen positions her research to inform both scholarship and professional practice. Her long-term goal is to continue working at the intersection of research and application, contributing insights that guide healthcare organizations in building communication systems that are both effective and sustainable.

Courses Taught

• COMM 1100: Principles of Public Speaking
• COMM 3310W: Media Literacy and Criticism