Meet our team
We are an interdisciplinary group dedicated to uniting relationship science and healthcare to create the best experience and outcomes for patients and clinicians.
Ashley Duggan, PhD
BRANCH Director
“Our work in relationship science examines the process of communication between people to build and maintain relationships, with a particular focus on how patient-clinician communication impacts health. Through research, education, training, policy, and advocacy efforts, the BRANCH initiative strives to apply relationship science to healthcare in ways that support clinicians in today's challenging environment and improve health outcomes and patient satisfaction."
Ashley’s leadership role is to build the organization consistent with its mission. Ashley's intellectual role in the BRANCH initiative is to identify and document the key concepts, theories, and research that serve as the foundation for applying relationship science to healthcare in impactful ways; she is also building an international, interdisciplinary network to inform and advance the science and practice of forming trusted clinician-patient relationships. Ashley is a Professor in the Communication Department at Boston College and adjunct Professor and Director of Research Partnerships in the Department of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. As a Fulbright Scholar with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences, she worked with the Centre for Positive Health Sciences to connect relationship science and human communication research with positive health sciences. Bringing two decades of research, teaching, and mentorship in relationship science and human communication research to bear enables Ashley to bridge theory, research methods, and relationship science. Her leadership in bringing new ideas to medical communication brought about her selection for a fellowship in Building Research Capacity with the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) and the Association of Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM). Her interdisciplinary interests have led to her appointment to multiple leadership roles, including with the International Association for Relationship Research (IARR), the National Communication Association (NCA), and the International Communication Association (ICA). Ashley was recently awarded the Berscheid-Hatfield Award for Distinguished Mid-Career Achievement from the IARR. She was also awarded the 2022 Gerald R. Miller Outstanding Book Award for a monograph, awarded by the Interpersonal Communication Division of the NCA, for her book Health and Illness in Close Relationships (2019, Cambridge University Press).
Core BRANCH facilitation team
Meet our team members who bring strategic planning, community engagement, and stakeholder engagement expertise. In addition to their commitment to the BRANCH initiative, they possess intellectual humility and transdisciplinary perspectives informed by their experience in primary care, organizational development, and relationship science. Plus, they offer urban, rural, national, and/or international perspectives.
Richard L. Street, Jr., PhD
Professor of Communication and Journalism at Texas A&M University and Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. His research focuses on clinician-patient communication, and he has led advancements in modeling pathways through which clinician-patient communication processes contribute to improved health outcomes. His research and teaching awards include being a Fellow of the International Communication Association, and having received an Outstanding Health Communication Scholar designation by the International Communication Association, the L. Donohew Health Communication Scholar Award from the University of Kentucky, the TAMU AFS Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching and Research, and the George L. Engel Award from the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare. With more than 200 publications to his name, Rick is recognized as a worldwide expert in physician-patient relations and continues to add to the important conversation around shared decision-making and effective communication in healthcare settings.
Debra Stulberg, MD, MAPP
Professor and Chair of Family Medicine at the University of Chicago. She joined the University of Chicago faculty in 2007, with a primary appointment in Family Medicine and secondary appointments in Obstetrics & Gynecology Section of Family Planning & Contraceptive Research. She is also a faculty member in the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics and Senior Scholar in the Bucksbaum Siegler Institute for Clinical Excellence. Debra graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed her Family Medicine residency at West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, IL. She received a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, where she also completed fellowship training in Primary Care Research and Clinical Medical Ethics. Her research focuses on reproductive health service delivery in the United States. This includes studies on incorporating reproductive health in primary care, addressing racial and socioeconomic disparities in pregnancy outcomes, and understanding how institutional policies affect care delivery. She directs the Reproductive Health Outcomes and Disparities (RHOADs) Research Group, a multidisciplinary and multiorganization lab focused on improving reproductive care and outcomes in the United States and reducing disparities. She cofounded and codirects the ExPAND Mifepristone learning collaborative, which supports primary care clinics in establishing medical management of early pregnancy loss and abortion care. Debra provides patient care at Friend Health, a federally qualified health center on Chicago’s south side. As Chair of Family Medicine at the University of Chicago (2020–present) she served as coexecutive sponsor for the creation of a new primary care practice serving the community near campus, which has become the first Family Medicine faculty practice at UChicago and a valued community asset. Under her leadership, the department is currently submitting a new program application to the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education for a Family Medicine residency at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital.
Frank DeGruy III, MD
Distinguished Professor in the University of Colorado Department of Family Medicine and member of the National Academy of Medicine since 2007. Frank’s research examines difficulties in integrating behavioral healthcare with primary care, particularly for medically underserved and disadvantaged people. He chaired the Department of Family Medicine at CU between 1999 and 2021, was the founding chair of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s National Integration Academy Council, and was president of the North American Primary Care Research Group, in addition to holding dozens of other leadership or advisory roles. One of the first to demonstrate and write about the indivisibility of patients’ behavioral and physical health, Frank is a strong advocate for the use of team-based primary care models that recognize the holistic nature of health. He also publishes on the integration of these principles into curricula for Family Medicine residency programs.
Pádraic Dunne, PhD
Senior Lecturer (US Associate Professor) and lead researcher of the Digital Health Research Group in the Centre for Positive Health Sciences at the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin, Ireland. He supports the development of health and wellbeing programs for postgraduate healthcare professionals, corporate workforces, patients with chronic diseases, and the general public. As a European Mentoring and Coaching Council-accredited senior coach, Pádraic is a strong believer in the capacity of positive health coaching for wellbeing. Pádraic is also keenly interested in the interaction between mental stress and the immune system. In addition to his role as codirector of the Centre’s MSc in Positive Health Coaching, he is a practicing psychotherapist and meditation teacher.
Stan Deetz, PhD
Professor Emeritus and a President’s Teaching Scholar at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has published more than 150 essays and 9 books regarding stakeholder representation, decision-making, cultural change, and community and organizational development. He has lectured widely in the US and Europe and worked on projects in over 20 countries. Stan was a Senior Fulbright Scholar and is a Past President and Fellow of the International Communication Association and a National Communication Association Distinguished Scholar. His studies and professional work promote the development of more collaborative communication practices in intersector interactions resulting in greater democracy, higher-quality decisions, and more productive interactions among stakeholders.
BRANCH team members
Get to know the people actively involved in BRANCH research, teaching, or advocacy projects.
Allen F. Shaughnessy, PharmD
Professor, Department of Family Medicine of Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, and Director of the Master Teacher Fellowship at the Tufts University Family Medicine Residency at Cambridge Health Alliance. Allen received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Medical University of South Carolina and his Masters in Medical Education from the University of Dundee, Scotland. He has completed a faculty development fellowship and the Department of Health and Human Services Primary Care Health Policy Fellowship. Allen has edited several books and published over 200 research papers in the areas of medical education, continuing medical education, evidence-based medicine, pharmacology, family medicine education, prescription writing, and medical information management. He is assistant editor for American Family Physician and Senior Editor of Essential Evidence Plus. As the recipient of several awards for teaching, Allen has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Family Medicine Education Consortium and the Innovative Program Award from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. He is a member of the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society. In 2022 Allen was awarded The Lynn and Joan Carmichael Recognition Award for outstanding leadership in advancing family medicine as a discipline, the highest award given by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.
Laura Miller, PhD
Associate Professor in the School of Communication Studies at the University of Tennessee. Laura received her undergraduate, master's, and PhD degrees from the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She teaches courses in communication theory, health communication, and qualitative methods. Her research explores how individuals communicate about health, how families communicate support amid health stressors, and how illness-related uncertainty is managed. Laura was awarded the William H. Swain Professorship in 2022, recognizing an outstanding record of research, teaching, and service that uniquely contributes to the University of Tennessee. She is passionate about global education, currently serving as the Director of Programs Abroad for her school, and has taught in Beijing, Dublin, and Sydney. Laura is involved in the BRANCH initiative vision and implementation including think tank writing retreats and partnership projects.
Marie Haverfield, PhD
Interpersonal and health communication scholar with training in implementation science. Marie’s research focuses on examining communication and relationships in high-risk settings and the effects these interactions have on health and well-being. She employs mixed-methods, incorporating interviews, survey data, coded interactions, and biomarker tools to facilitate a comprehensive view of communication behavior and effects. Marie’s work with BRANCH involves leading an evaluation of the Mirah collaborative care model to determine improvements in behavioral health outcomes, financial sustainability, workforce efficiency and acceptability, and the promotion of equitable health practices.
Amy Allen
Writer, editor, and communications consultant. Amy supports BRANCH and the Law Stroud Foundation with communications about their mission, projects, and dedication to supporting meaningful clinician-patient relationships and increasing compassion in healthcare delivery. Previously, Amy held numerous leadership roles in healthcare communications and content development. As senior director at the healthcare management firm Health Dialog, Amy wrote extensively about shared decision-making in healthcare and led the development and production of decision aids that helped patients and clinicians make collaborative medical decisions. At the digital health firm Good Measures, Amy served in a similar role focusing on patient engagement and business development. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism, a master’s degree in gastronomy (food studies) from Boston University, and a graduate certificate from The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
Lily Harden
Lily is a Research Associate under the direction of Ashley Duggan in summer 2025. Lily graduated from Boston College in 2025 with a B.A. in Psychology and Medical Humanities. Her work focuses on the development of a series of learning modules using the frameworks of relationship science and positive health sciences, which include generative AI ChatBot prompts intended to guide intrapersonal and interpersonal reflection. As a whole, her research focuses on where relationship science content meets application for advocacy. Her interests include the humanistic aspects of health and healing, intimacy and vulnerability, restorative justice, moral formation, and the impact that identifying meaning and purpose in life has on our relationships. Lily is a former student of Dr. Ashley Duggan’s “Health and Illness in Relationships” course. There she interacted with the previously mentioned AI ChatBot in reflective conversation both to supplement her learning of the class content and synthesize the material with her lived experience. Lily is building upon the formative education of her undergraduate years as she applies to positions in a legal setting and prepares to attend law school pursuing her J.D. in fall of 2026.
Aliza Jernigan
Liza is a Research Associate under the direction of Ashley Duggan in summer 2025 and working with Ashley on future possibilities to connect reflection and mind/body integration. Liza recently graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in Psychology and Medical Humanities. Her research focuses on where relationship science content meets technology development for meliotropism. Her interests revolve around the interplay between the mind and body, especially how mental processes can be harnessed to support holistic healing. She is passionate about understanding the many factors that make pain and illness complex experiences, including patient-clinician dynamics, and to building tools from relationship science to make a difference. As a student in Dr. Ashley Duggan’s “Health and Illness in Relationships” course, Liza was struck by AI’s ability to foster meaningful reflection, and sees its potential for strengthening human connection in healthcare and beyond. Moving forward, she hopes to combine her interests in digital health, positive health science, and mind-body medicine to create tools that enable human-centered care and enhance well-being by activating patients’ innate capacity for healing and resilience.
Aimee Cowles
Aimee is an Undergraduate Research Assistant at Boston College beginning summer 2025 under the direction of Ashley Duggan. Aimee is a rising senior at Boston College studying Applied Psychology and Human Development, Communication, and Marketing. Aimee brings a cheery personality, an ability to work across domains, an ease of learning new tools, an encouraging perspective, and team development skills to her research assistant role. Aimee’s work focuses on connecting the concepts of relationship science with technology. She works with Dr. Duggan and Croía Loughnane (Ireland) to assess the impact AI technology can have on facilitating conversations for the greater good, including relationship-centered care. She was a student in Dr. Ashley Duggan’s writing intensive course “Health and Illness in Relationships”, where students interacted with custom chatbots that Dr. Duggan had created and adapted throughout the semester. As a research assistant, she facilitates research to better understand how AI can be purposefully directed for the greater good. Aimee hopes to integrate what she is learning about relationship science with tools in marketing and human resources.
Norah Dunbar
Dr. Norah Dunbar’s is an international leader in interpersonal and intergroup communication. She is Professor of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Fellow of the International Communication Association. Her research and projects provide formative scientific understanding of verbal and nonverbal foundations of relationships (credibility, trust, and deception) in a variety of contexts including relational communication, computer-mediated communication, and dominance and power. In particular, her work articulates how dominance, nonverbal synchrony, and other nonverbal behaviors affect the impressions we make in our interpersonal relationships. She has examined interpersonal power as it relates to credibility and persuasion and has pioneered the methods of measuring nonverbal behaviors. She teaches courses in nonverbal and interpersonal communication, communication theory, and deception detection. She is also Affiliate Faculty in the Center for Information, Technology & Society; Center for Responsible Machine Learning; the Center for Digital Games Research; and the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences program. She has received over $18 Million in research funding from agencies such as the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and the Center for Identification Technology Research. She has published over 100 journal articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia articles and has presented over 120 papers at National and International conferences. Norah is working with Ashley Duggan and Laura Miller to articulate the foundations of the processes and measurement of core constructs in relationship science.
Croía Loughnane
Croía Loughnane is a PhD scholar in the Digital Health Research Group at the Centre for Positive Health Science in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences. As a positive health coach accredited by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, Croia is exploring in her PhD the potential of connecting new digital health technologies and positive health coaching to increase the health and well-being of Irish communities. Specifically, Croia is interested in the optimal balance between digital technologies for scalability and accessibility, and human connection and communication for meaning, purpose, and relationship building in digital health interventions.
Shaw Miller
Research assistant with the Department of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. Shaw’s work with BRANCH includes data management and analysis for the Mirah collaborative care evaluation under Marie Haverfield, conducting literature reviews, and building a unified literature database for BRANCH projects. Shaw enjoys finding unexpected ways that fields of research can overlap or inform each other. Fittingly, he worked as a research assistant and then as department administrator with the Tufts University School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine between 2019 and 2021, while he also completed his studies in Geology and Biology at Brown University. Also holding a national EMT certification, Shaw is excited to be involved in projects that promote human connection in medical care.
Audrey Sparano (Graduated 2025)
Undergraduate research assistant at Boston College under the direction of Ashley Duggan. Audrey’s work focuses on connecting the concepts of relationship science with data collected by the Larry A. Green Center to assess the impact of COVID-19 on clinical practices. She is writing her Boston College senior capstone thesis on the overlap between relationship science, primary care, and public health, focusing on trust and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Audrey's major at Boston College is Global Public Health for the Common Good, and she is currently nominated as Scholar of the College for her senior thesis in progress. She spent a semester studying public health in Cork, Ireland.