Jeanette B. Ruiz

Jeanette Ruiz Portrait

Position Title
Associate Professor of Teaching

364 Kerr Hall
Bio

Education

  • Ph.D., Communication, UC Davis, 2015
  • M.A., Communication, Sacramento State University, 2009

About

Jeanette B. Ruiz is a CAMPOS Faculty Scholar who specializes in strategic communication with a specific interest in emerging practices and concepts in digital and social media. In addition to her appointment in the Department of Communication, she has served as a human resources and public relations consultant for various nonprofit, managed health care and finance organizations. Currently, she is serving as the Faculty Lead for the UC Davis First-Gen Initiative. Most recently, she was honored with the UC Davis Distinguished Teaching Award.

Research Focus

Dr. Ruiz's research examines the international Internet and the impact of social networks on public health communication. Her current research is focused on understanding the impact of media advocacy and media campaigns in public health initiatives. Currently, she is interested in assessing issues of assessment and student accessibility and inclusivity in higher education.

Publications

Teaching

Jeanette B. Ruiz teaches various courses, including Interpersonal Communication Competence, Introduction to Mass Communication, Introduction to Communication, Strategic Communication in Public Relations, Race and Media, Thinking Like a Social Media Strategist, and Empirical Methods in Communication. She was appointed as the First Gen Initiative Faculty Assistant for the 2020-2021 academic year and serves as a First Gen Student Mentor, UndocuAlly, and Guardian Scholar Mentor. She has presented on the importance of instructor presence, best practices for remote teaching, strategies for designing equitable online learning environments, and online universal design features.

Awards

  • Distinguished Teaching Award
  • National Communication Association International and Intercultural Communication Division (IICD) Honors, Graduate Student Seminar Recipient, 2014