Meet Paola Pascual-Ferrá, Ph.D., associate professor of communication
Notable Faces of Loyola
Brianna Yacovelli, ’21, M.A. ’22
Photo credits: Jim Burger
Teaching requires continuous creativity and imagination to engage the whole person. Every student is a unique individual with gifts and talents waiting to be tapped.
Associate Professor
Teaches undergraduate classes in the department of communication along with classes in the Emerging Media graduate program and serves as co-chair of Loyola’s Strategic Planning Steering Committee, which oversees the development of the University’s next strategic plan.
Interests in Emerging Media
She finds that teaching communication presents a constant challenge to grow in our understanding of the world and the role we play in creating our reality and the stories we tell.
Research Sabbatical
Since early 2020, Pascual-Ferrá has studied social media discourse around COVID-19. Her main takeaway as a health communication professor is that misinformation and deliberate disinformation campaigns have a real impact on society and that students need to learn how to detect, approach, and manage them.
Celebrating the Ignatian Year
Pascual-Ferrá and Seán Bray, interim vice president for mission, honored the Ignatian Year by creating a podcast for members of the Loyola community to connect around mission and engage the Loyola community in conversation about Ignatian spirituality.
Interests
Outside of Loyola, she enjoys long-distance running.