On Friday, November 21, at the National Communication Association (NCA) Annual Convention, the communication discipline proudly honored Distinguished Professor Kathryn Greene, a leading scholar in health and interpersonal communication whose groundbreaking work continues to shape research, practice, and policy.

 Greene received three major distinctions, each underscoring her profound influence on the field:

• The Gerald M. Phillips Award for Distinguished Applied Communication Scholarship – recognizing her transformative contributions to applied communication research.
• The NCA Distinguished Scholar Award – one of the highest honors in the discipline, celebrating a career of scholarly excellence and impact.
• A special panel dedicated to her scholarship, featuring Rutgers colleagues Professors Jennifer Theissand Maria Venetis, who highlighted the far-reaching effects of Greene’s work on the field, her students, and society at large. This follows her receipt of the Mark L. Knapp Award in Interpersonal Communication in 2024.

These awards represent the finest in the discipline, with Greene being the first NCA Distinguished Scholar and Knapp Awardee in the history of Rutgers communication department. She is in the distinguished company of colleague Prof. Brent Ruben, who won the Phillips Award in 2004.

For more than two decades at Rutgers, Greene has advanced pioneering research on health decision-making, disclosure, and risk prevention. She has authored over 120 peer-reviewed articles and multiple award-winning books, including "Privacy and Disclosure of HIV in Interpersonal Relationships." Her scholarship illuminates how individuals navigate the complexities of sharing or concealing health information—particularly in stigmatized contexts—and how strategic communication can reduce health disparities.

 Her influence extends beyond theory. Greene has secured more than $14 million in external funding, including major grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and she has developed innovative interventions such as the REAL media curriculum, nationally recognized for its effectiveness in preventing adolescent substance use.

 A 2024 Fellow of the International Communication Association, Greene has earned numerous accolades, including the 2023 Outstanding Health and Interpersonal Communication Scholar Awards.

Her mentorship has shaped the careers of countless emerging scholars, and her service to academia and community health organizations reflects her unwavering commitment to equity and social impact.

 Professor Maria Venetis noted: “Through her groundbreaking scholarship and unwavering commitment to mentoring, Kathryn has profoundly influenced the discipline and the next generation of researchers.”

 Professor Jennifer Theiss added: “Kathryn has been a tremendous colleague, mentor, and advocate for me as an interpersonal scholar over the past 20 years since I joined her on the faculty at Rutgers. She has offered a model for scholarly success and productivity that I have strived to emulate in my own career. Kathryn is fiercely loyal, and I have always been grateful to have her in my corner as a supporter and a friend.”

 Department of Communication Chair and Professor Marya Doerfel concluded: “As NCA honors Professor Greene’s extraordinary contributions, we in the Communication Department celebrate not only her scholarly brilliance but her unwavering commitment to improving lives through engaged communication research. Kathryn’s work has transformed the field, shaped generations of scholars, and advanced health equity in profound ways. We are beyond proud to call her our colleague and friend.”

Learn more about the Communication Department at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website.