Heidi Y. Lawrence

I am an Assistant Professor at George Mason University, where I teach courses in professional writing, technical communication, research methods, and rhetoric at the graduate and undergraduate levels. I recently completed my PhD in Rhetoric and Writing at Virginia Tech; my dissertation research examined public discourses surrounding vaccine concerns, particularly as they relate to flu and flu vaccination for children and adults. I am now working on a book manuscript on the rhetoric of vaccination controversy.

I use mixed method approaches to studying vaccination controversy, chiefly including textual analysis, interview, and survey methods. In the course of my work with the Vaccination Research Group (VRG) at Virginia Tech, I participated in a field study of vaccination beliefs and practices of parents and young adults in Southwest Virginia, focusing specifically on issues surrounding flu and flu vaccine. This research involved collecting survey and interview data from parents and young adults in the Cumberland Plateau Health District in Southwestern Virginia.

I also have extensive experience as a professional writer and editor, taught business communications at George Mason University, and earned an MA in English with a concentration in professional writing, all of which inform my teaching and research interests in professional, business, and technical communications.