Dr. Jody Kellas is a Willa Cather Professor and the Department of Communication Studies department chair. Earning multiple awards and honors, her passion for research and teaching has made a lasting impact in the communication studies discipline. Dr. Kellas conducts research and teaches classes on interpersonal, family, and health communication. The overarching purpose of her research program is to study the ways in which narratives, storytelling, and related forms of communicated sense-making can help individuals and families understand, negotiate, and improve communication and coping within the context of difficulty and illness. Her research lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln - NARRATIVE NEBRASKA - seeks to implement interdisciplinary, narrative-based interventions to improve caregiving, communication, and psychosocial well-being for families and care providers.