{"id":28868,"date":"2025-10-29T13:48:58","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T17:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/?p=28868"},"modified":"2025-10-29T14:34:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T18:34:02","slug":"marshall-university-launches-nations-first-joint-m-d-m-a-in-communication-studies-degree-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/2025\/10\/marshall-university-launches-nations-first-joint-m-d-m-a-in-communication-studies-degree-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Marshall University launches nation\u2019s first joint M.D. + M.A. in Communication Studies degree program"},"content":{"rendered":"
Marshall University has launched the nation\u2019s first four-year dual Doctor of Medicine and Master of Arts in Communication Studies (M.D. + M.A.) degree program, a collaboration between the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and the College of Liberal Arts. This innovative program integrates medical education with advanced communication training to help future physicians strengthen their ability to engage patients, peers and the public through clear, compassionate and evidence-based communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cEffective communication is at the heart of good medicine,\u201d said David Gozal, M.D., M.B.A., Ph.D. (Hon), vice president for health affairs at Marshall University and dean of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. \u201cIn an era of \u2018TikTok docs\u2019 and instant information, physicians must be able to communicate with clarity, credibility and compassion. This dual-degree program reflects our commitment to producing not only clinically excellent physicians but also leaders who can translate science into understanding and inspire trust across the communities they serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis collaboration reflects Marshall University\u2019s commitment to innovation through partnership,\u201d said Richard G. Jones Jr., Ph.D., professor and chair of communication studies at Marshall. \u201cWe\u2019re building a model for how interdisciplinary learning can shape the future of health care and leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open to students entering the School of Medicine\u2019s M.D. program in fall 2026 as part of the Class of 2030, the M.D. + M.A. in Communication Studies program enables participants to integrate advanced communication coursework and research throughout their medical training. Students will engage in studies focused on interpersonal and organizational communication, health literacy, strategic messaging, media and technology and public discourse \u2014 all essential skills for physicians navigating today\u2019s complex health care landscape.<\/p>\n

“In a world where a message can travel faster than medicine, this program ensures our physicians are trained to effectively communicate with their patients and their communities,\u201d said Clinton Brown, Ph.D., assistant professor of health communication.
\n\u201cHealth communication is more than a soft skill; it\u2019s a clinical competency.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program is expected to draw students interested in careers that blend clinical practice with leadership in public health, medical education, health care policy or media.<\/p>\n

For more information about the joint program, please contact Nitin Puri, M.D., Ph.D., senior associate dean and chair of medical education, at 304-691-8828 or purin@marshall.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Marshall University has launched the nation\u2019s first four-year dual Doctor of Medicine and Master of Arts in Communication Studies (M.D. + M.A.) degree program, a collaboration between the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and the College of Liberal Arts. This innovative program integrates medical education with advanced communication training to help future physicians strengthen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":239,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,78,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cola","category-jcesom","category-news-releases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/239"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28868"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28870,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28868\/revisions\/28870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}