Assistant Professor of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Racial Justice in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society (SFIS) at Arizona State University; 2019 NCID Postdoctoral Fellow and 2017 LSA Collegiate Fellow (Communication Studies) at the University of Michigan
About
Prior to joining the Department of Communication Studies, Dr. Merid taught in the master of science in global medicine program at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC). He simultaneously worked as an associate director of undergraduate admission in the USC Marshall School of Business, where he focused on the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students. Dr. Merid earned his PhD in media, culture, and communication from New York University.
Current Work:
Beza Merid researches how health institutions, patients, and caregivers co-construct what it means to be a responsible patient in the context of cancer and heart disease. In particular, his research examines the media practices that shape and communicate information about responsible patienthood, and how these practices change over time. Dr. Merid is currently working on a book manuscript that explores the increasingly prominent role stand-up comedy plays in the production and distribution of biomedical knowledge. He is also beginning work on a second book project that explores racial disease disparities in heart disease and stroke.
Research Area Keyword(s):
Cultural study of cancer and heart disease; responsible patienthood; affects of illness; media and communication studies; biomedical knowledge production; racial disease disparities
