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Merissa Ferrara happily joined the Department of Communication in the fall of 2005 as an Assistant Professor specializing in Interpersonal and Health Communication. She teaches Introduction to Interpersonal Communication, Advanced Relationships, and Public Speaking.

Dr. Ferrara came to Charleston from Michigan State University, where she earned her MA and Ph.D. in Communication, with a specialization in Exercise Physiology. She was a graduate teaching assistant for five years, and was awarded the campus Graduate Teaching Award (2005). She received her bachelor's (1999) degree from Marquette University where she received the Dean Hellman Communication Scholarship, served as the campus mascot (the Golden Eagle), and participated in several campus organizations including Habitat for Humanity and Student Government.

Her research interests include health communication and interpersonal communication. Her current line of research investigates social support (or lack thereof) regarding maintaining a healthy lifestyle (i.e., weight loss, exercise). She has published several articles on such topics as how people really detect lies and the cognitive complexity of lies. For more on Dr. Ferrara's research on lying and deception, see this story in the College of Charleston Magazine.

She was also a researcher with Johns Hopkins University, working to increase collective efficacy regarding the adoption of certain medications and family planning in hopes to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Namibia.

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The Department of Communication is housed in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
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