Denise Polk, Ph.D.
Professor
E-mail: Denise Polk, Ph.D.Office: Wayne Hall 234
Phone: 610-436-6987 (but email is preferred)
Office Hours: Dr. Polk is on leave during the Fall 2022 semester
Personal zoom room: https://wcupa.zoom.us/j/7230561895?pwd=RUhQZjJzeTUxWktVQkhrRU1UNDJXdz09
Denise M. Polk, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Communication and Media. Dr. Polk's teaching and research areas focus mainly on interpersonal communication, work-family integration, conflict resolution, and health communication where she mostly focuses on marital, dating, and family relationships.
Publications include:
Polk, D. M. & Pollino, M. A. (2020). Communities as asset: Using positive communication to enhance the holistic well-being of South Africans. Education, Citizenship, & Social Justice, 00, 1-16. DOI: 10.1177/1746197920971792
Polk, D. M. (2016). Building community one child at a time: A grassroots approach to taking young South Africans off the streets. Education, Citizenship, & Social Justice, 11, 1-17. DOI: 10.1177/1746197916663356
Polk, D. M. (2015). What are they hearing? The impact of perceptions of parental communication on youth. Community, Work, and Family, 18, 41-57. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2014.981505.
Polk, D. M., & Egbert, N. E. (2013). Speaking the language of love: On whether Chapman’s (1992) claims stand up to empirical testing. Open Communication Journal.
Polk, D. M., & Hullman, G. A. (2010). Weight-related stigma as a predictor of self-disclosure patterns in women. The Open Communication Journal, 5, 1-10.
Polk, D. M. (2008). Intersecting work and family: The influence of relational beliefs and behaviors on work-family integration. Journal of Management and Organization, 14, 345-366.
Egbert, N., & Polk, D. (2006). Speaking the language of relational maintenance: A validity test of Chapman’s (1992) five love languages. Communication Research Reports, 23, 1-8.
Polk, D. M. (2005). Communication and family caregiving for Alzheimer’s dementia: Linking attributions and problematic integration. Health Communication, 18, 257-273.
Her interest in sustainability led her to earn two federal Environmental Protection Agency Grants for WCU to collaborate with the Borough of West Chester with two separate restaurant composting pilot projects. She gave a Tedx in 2017 to talk about the project and its results.
Dr. Polk is a member of the National Communication Association. Before coming to West Chester University, Dr. Polk taught at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, VA. She holds a B.A. from Baldwin-Wallace College, an M.A. from Miami University, and a Ph.D. from Kent State University. Dr. Polk joined the faculty of West Chester University in 2005.