Dr. Jennifer L. Bevan (B.A., M.A., University of Delaware, Ph.D.; University of Georgia) is a professor in the School of Communication at Chapman University in Orange, CA. Dr. Bevan’s research interests focus upon the communicative negotiation of difficult relational interactions, such as ongoing conflict, family caregiving, chronic illness, as well as related psychological and physical health correlates of these experiences.
Dr. Bevan’s publications include over 70 scholarly communication and biomedical articles and book chapters appearing in such journals as Social Science and Medicine, Health Communication, Journal of Health Communication, and Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. She was recognized in 2009 and 2016 as one of the most prolific and central scholars in the field of communication.
Dr. Bevan’s research on caregiving focuses on how romantic partners and family members navigate the challenges inherent in communicating about informal care, including the roles of topic avoidance, received social support, psychological reactance, caregiver burden, and interpersonal conflict. Her research has received numerous top book and paper awards in health and interpersonal communication at national and regional communication conventions. She currently serves on multiple communication and close relationship journal editorial boards, and is a former editor of the journal Communication Reports, published by the Western States Communication Association.