Dr. Danielle R. Mehlman-Brightwell (Ph.D., Indiana University of Pennsylvania) is an assistant professor of Public Policy and Communication at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg and teaches courses in argument, interpersonal communication, rhetoric and public policy, policy practicum, theories of persuasion, and public speaking. She serves as the public policy major advisor for Pitt-Greensburg.
Along with her doctoral degree in Communications Media and Instructional Technology, Dr. Mehlman-Brightwell's research spans mass communication, political communication, public opinion, and technology policy. Her publications in the Journal of Communication Technology, International Journal of Communication and book chapters examine the effects of mass media on citizens' communicative activity. Her scholarly expertise is in polarization on social media, with a particular interest in media dependency, news credibility, and concern about foreign interference in elections.
Dr. Mehlman-Brightwell also serves as a faculty affiliate in quantitative analysis for the Center for Applied Research (CFAR) at the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg and is a member of a team of researchers for the Pitt Disinformation Lab at the University of Pittsburgh's Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security. Her professional affiliations include the National Communication Association, the Pennsylvania Communication Association, the Eastern Communication Association, and Phi Kappa Phi.
In 2022, Dr. Mehlman-Brightwell won the best presenter international award at the Fifth International Conference on the Future of Women, "Defining Women in a New Decade," and was nominated for National Communication Association's Mass Communication Division Dissertation Award.
