About
Dr. Heather Ashley Hayes is an interdisciplinary and rhetorical scholar whose work sits at the intersection of communication, social change, accessibility, and neuroscience. Taking her personal experience as a brain cancer survivor, she brings a deeply human perspective to questions about how communication fosters resilience, understanding, and transformation.
Her research examines how people use public discourse and learning models to create more inclusive communities and equitable systems. By integrating insights from neuroscience with theories of rhetoric and social justice, Hayes investigates how communication both reflects and reshapes the ways individuals learn, recover and connect across difference.
Impact Beyond the University
Hayes’s work extends well beyond academic settings. She collaborates with organizations, educators, and advocacy groups to design programs that promote accessibility, empowerment, and inclusive dialogue. Her research provides tools for individuals and institutions to better understand how communication influences healing, decision-making, and collective action.
Through her writing and public engagement, Hayes challenges conventional boundaries between science, art, and activism, demonstrating how interdisciplinary research can spark social transformation and improve human wellbeing.
A Passion for Teaching and Empowerment
Hayes is widely recognized for her commitment to transformative, student-centered teaching. She was honored with the Donald H. Ecroyd Award for Outstanding Teaching in Higher Education (2023–2024) from the National Communication Association—one of the field’s most prestigious recognitions of teaching excellence. This award reflects her dedication to creating classrooms rooted in empathy, accessibility and intellectual curiosity.
Her teaching emphasizes reflection, collaboration, and creative problem-solving. Whether mentoring students in research or facilitating discussions on accessibility and inclusion, Hayes equips them to become communicators who listen deeply, speak thoughtfully, and act courageously in the service of others.