Kelli Ling is a health communication adjunct lecturer and course facilitator at both Simmons University and Boston University, respectively. She has taught at both public and private tertiary institutions over the years with both traditional and nontraditional student communities, and her research interests include examining the role of culture (cultural relativism) and communications (social justice lens) in addressing health disparities and underutilization of campus health services by marginalized students. An important basis of her research work focuses on the social determinants of health and the role communication plays in systemic inequities.
Ling is currently a doctoral candidate (Doctor of Education - Integrated Studies concentration) at Northeastern University, Boston. Her recent qualitative research on the benefits of expanding gender diversity studies in schools and the constructs of culture and communications in understanding Japanese American internment experiences were published in scholarly journals and presented at international conference forums.
She is working in collaboration with her former student on a conference project related to communication as a key principle of trauma-informed health care. She was selected to present research and theoretical paradigms related to communications and health inequities on marginalized populations at the RISE 2024 Conference at Northeastern. She really enjoys teaching and working with both undergrads and graduate students!
In addition to reading, Ling enjoys nature, hiking with her family, arts and music, and trying different foods from around the world.
Education
- MA, Northwestern University
- MSc, Boston University
- EdD Candidate ’26, Northeastern University
Courses
MHEO 486 – Strategic Communications for Health Equity
Area of Expertise
Oral and written communications, teaching, course development
Licenses/Certifications
"Cultural Audit" training (badge), Northeastern University (Issued Dec 2024)
"Conflict of Interest" (training/certification) CITI Program (Issued Nov 2022)
"Social and Behavioral Research" (certification/training) (Issued Nov 2022)
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
- American Association of University Women
- International Communication Association
Community Engagement
Co-presenter for MLK Jr. Teach-In Day (North Central College) 2021, 2022 — Topic: "Writing and speaking that matters: A rhetorical perspective on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s communications, life, and social justice work that transformed America"(With Rev. Keith Kelsey-Powell, Pastor of Davis Junction United Methodist Church and Dr. Megan Sullivan, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Boston University)
Northeastern Scholars – RISE 2024 Conference (Research/Innovation/Scholarship/Entrepreneurship)
Publications
- "An Expository Essay on the Role of Silence in Surviving Adversity: Stories from Japanese American Internment Survivors and Their Families" In O. Noroozi & I. Sahin (Eds.), Proceedings of IHSES 2022 — International Conference on Humanities, Social and Education Sciences (pp. 79-94) Apr 21, 2022
- "Thinking — and Teaching — Outside the Gender Binary Box: Study Proposal for Promoting Gender Inclusivity Instruction in U.S. Public Schools Grades K and 1st" International Society for Technology, Education, and Science, Paper presented at the International Conference on Humanities, Social and Education Sciences (iHSES) · Apr 22, 2021
Presentations
Analyzing Prior Research on Muslim Tertiary Students to Promote Campus Healthcare Utilization, RISE Presentation at Northeastern University, Boston (Mentor: Dr. Noor Ali).