"Pursue research that genuinely interests you and your path will unfold" - sage advice COMM alum, Dr. Emily Pfender recently shared for aspiring communication researchers.

Since receiving her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Delaware, Emily Pfender now works as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of OB/GYN at the University of Pennsylvania. She is dedicated to advancing maternal health equity through ongoing research and community engagement. Her work primarily focuses on addressing disparities in maternal health outcomes. No stranger to the health communication field, Pfender has held several fellowships at the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, and Food and Drug Administration with focuses on women’s reproductive and sexual health.

In addition to this work, Emily is preparing for an exciting project as she plans to return to Tanzania, where she will lead maternal health equity research with Mwamdamo Women, a women's health nonprofit group. This initiative, set to begin in January 2026, aims to improve maternal health services and outcomes in underserved communities by leveraging local knowledge and resources. Previously, she spent a month in Tanzania as she was completing her degree to run focus groups and interviews with four local tribes to shed light on their struggles with menstrual poverty, described as inadequate access to menstrual products and education, a barrier that many low or no-income females face. This pilot project has come to fruition as she expands her work in this field.

If interested in learning more about Emily’s research, such as her dissertation titled "The effect of social media influencer warranting cues and impression formation on contraceptive-related behavioral intentions" or any of her articles on social media effects on women’s health and more, please visit UDSpace.