Meet Grace Peters
Degrees and Experience
- Ph.D., Communication (University of South Florida)
- M.A., Communication (University of South Florida)
- B.A., Communication (Florida College)
Biography and Professional Achievements
Dr. Grace Peters’ mission is to equip students with a Christ-centered approach to the study and practice of communication. Dr. Peters teaches a variety of undergraduate communication courses on-campus and pursues research on clinical communication.
Dr. Peters experienced the blessing of a Christian liberal arts education at Florida College in Temple Terrace, FL where she majored in Communication and competed in Speech and Debate. With the desire to teach, she pursued her graduate education at the University of South Florida and completed a thesis examining how Christian couples tell stories of pregnancy loss. She continued studying communication in health contexts with the goal of improving patient experience through clinician communication. Her dissertation, “Communication Skills in Medical Education: A Discourse Analysis of Simulated Patient Practices,” received the 2020 National Communication Association Top Dissertation Award from the Language and Social Interaction Division. As a graduate assistant, Grace received the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Student. Prior to joining CCU, Grace served as an Instructor of Veterinary Communication for Colorado State University’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program— putting theory to practice and honing her pedagogical skills in a professional education context.
Publications
- Peters, G. & Muller, H. (2023). Grounded Practical Theory for Teaching Communication Across Disciplines. In Teaching Communication Across Disciplines (Edited by Joanna Bartell and April Kedrowicz)
- De la Croix, A, Peters, G., Laughey, W. (2022). Acknowledgement as the Antidote to Empathy in Health Professions Education. In Philosophy and Health Professions (Edited by Mario Veen, Meghan Brown, and Gabriella Finn).
- Peters, G. & Shaw, J.R. (2021). Veterinary Communication in The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication.
- Peters, G. (2021). Reflexivity of/as Communication Skills Learning with Simulated Patients. Teaching & Learning in Medicine.
- Peters, G. (2021). Metadiscourse, Materiality and Morality in Communication Skills Training with Simulated Patients. Communication & Medicine, 16(3), pp. 251-266.
- Peters, G. (2019). The Role of Standardized Patient Assessment Forms for Communication Skills in Medical Education. Qualitative Research in Medicine & Healthcare. 3(2), pp. 1-17.
- Peters, G. (2017). “Our” Miscarriage: Narrative Entitlement and Pregnancy Loss Journal of Women & Language. 39(2), pp. 71-92.
- Peters, G. (2017) Review: Health and Risk Communication. Electronic Journal of Communication: Special Issue on Risk Communication.
Faith and Learning
Serving at CCU allows Grace to live out her God-given talents, teach from a Biblical worldview, and establish students with a theory-driven, ethics-based approach to communication. She considers it a blessing to be part of student’s lives as they prepare to engage in a broad range of personal and professional contexts. She is continually learning to bring her students the best educational experience and is regularly encouraged by her students’ drive for excellence.