Rokeshia Renné Ashley

Assistant Professor of Communication, Florida International University Dr. Rokeshia Renné Ashley is a Miami native and mother to her daughter, Emery. Dr. Ashley’s research focuses on health communication in body image and modification, and maternal health. She examines how black women manage their appearance relative to reception of health information and negotiating modification in a racial and health context, while also exploring the interactions between patients and healthcare providers pre-, during, and post-natal to uncover culturally competent strategies to improve black women and babies maternal mortality. To date, Dr. Ashley’s work has been published in Health Communication, Journal of Black Studies, and Communication, Culture & Critique. Her research has been publicly shared by Black Enterprise, NBC News, U.S. News & World Report, the Chicago Tribune, Columbia Missourian (in print and online), Allure Magazine, Red Lake Nation News and more; collectively over 10 million readers across varying platforms. Ashley has presented numerous papers at academic conferences like the International Communication Association, National Association of African American Studies conferences and have accepted a university invitation to speak about her research in South Africa. Dr. Ashley is also the author of children’s book SunFlower Child.