Department of Communication

College of Arts and Sciences

University of Cincinnati
PO Box 0184
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0184

620 Teachers College

(513) 556-4440
(513) 556-0899 (fax)

January 28, 2010

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to recommend the application of Michelle Lohmann for the Healthy People
Communication Fellowship. I am an Associate Professor of Health and Organizational
Communication in the Department of Communication at the University of Cincinnati. I am
Michelle’s master’s thesis advisor, and I instructed her in graduate courses including Advanced
Communication Theory and the seminar Public Health Policy and Organizational Issues
Management. Based on this experience and my knowledge of her background, I strongly
recommend Ms. Lohmann for this position.

Michelle is undoubtedly one of the best MA students we have had in the program since 2000
when I joined the faculty, and our program has been rated a top MA program in communication
nationally. Michelle is an intelligent, insightful and hard working student. She is a strong
classroom contributor and consistently earns the top grade in her classes. Her writing skills are
superb. She independently submitted a course paper to the National Communication Association
convention during her first quarter, and the paper was honored as a “Top 5” paper in the student
section. She will present additional research papers that were accepted at our regional
communication conference in the spring.

Ms. Lohmann’s academic interests provide a good match with the position. The program
emphasizes analytical ability, skills in interpersonal, public, and mediated communication, and
qualitative and quantitative research methods that facilitate audience analysis. Michelle’s
coursework in organizational communication, public relations and rhetoric, and communication
technology help to prepare her for this position. Her research focuses on issues of diversity
including gender, ethnicity, and nationality particularly as it relates to national and global public
health policy. She has written about controversies over the Gardisil vaccine, and her thesis
examines the role of narratives in communicating about violence against women in Darfur.

Michelle’s B.A. in strategic communication and her work experience in public relations,
journalism, and marketing prepare her well for your position. Additionally, she is a collegial and
supportive member of the department. Her work in teams in some class projects shows that while
she is a self-starter, she works very well collaboratively. Michelle is well qualified for the

An affirmative action/equal opportunity institution

fellowship, and I believe she has the skills to capitalize on this invaluable learning experience as
she moves toward doctoral research and/or public service. Please contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,

Heather Zoller

Dr. Heather Zoller

Associate Professor
(513) 556-4468
Heather.zoller@uc.edu

An affirmative action/equal opportunity institution