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Jeffrey Bennett

Associate Professor of Communication Studies

Medical humanities expert who specializes in health, citizenship, LGBT/queer studies, cultural studies and rhetorical theory and criticism.

Biography

Jeff Bennett is an expert in medical humanities. His research is focused on health, citizenship, LGBT/queer studies, cultural studies and rhetorical theory and criticism. He is the author of "Managing Diabetes: The Cultural Politics of Disease" (forthcoming, New York: NYU Press, 2019); and "Banning Queer Blood: Rhetorics of Citizenship, Contagion, and Resistance," which scrutinizes the federal donor deferral policy limiting queer men’s ability to donate blood.

Media Appearances

  • Biden Seeks Unity After Election Win

    President-elect Joe Biden promoted a message of unity and bridging America’s political divide hours after news networks projected him winning the U.S. presidential election.

    November 8th, 2020

  • As White House Becomes COVID Hot Spot, Trump Remains Defiant

    President Donald Trump is back at the White House after being released from the hospital where he was treated for COVID-19, and he is tweeting, urging Americans not to be afraid of the coronavirus. Many of Trump’s inner circle and those who attended a White House event late last month have since tested positive for the coronavirus.

    October 7th, 2020

  • Trump Shifts Slightly on Masks Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

    With a spike in the nation’s coronavirus cases and top Republicans joining Democrats in urging Americans to wear masks to slow the pandemic, President Donald Trump, who has opposed wearing one in public, may be shifting his tone.

    July 3rd, 2020

  • PrEP would cap and drive down HIV rates in Tennessee, but not enough people know about the drug | Opinion

    One of the most monumental medical developments of the 2010s may surprise you: the definition of safe sex has changed dramatically. And it’s all thanks to a technology called “PrEP.” PrEP, which stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a pill that prevents HIV infection.

    December 1st, 2019

  • Why telling people with diabetes to use Walmart insulin can be dangerous advice

    About 7.4 million people in the U.S. require manufactured insulin to stay alive. I’m one of them. I’ve lived with Type 1 diabetes for over 15 years and inject two kinds of insulin every day. These insulins are notoriously expensive, and even with health insurance, people with diabetes regularly struggle to make ends meet.

    November 15th, 2019


Education

Ph.D., Indiana University

M.A., Northern Illinois University

B.A., Wayne State University



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