Megan Denneny

Megan Denneny, PhD, is an assistant professor in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas, where she teaches courses in public relations, digital marketing and advertising, including Advanced Digital Marketing Communication, Advertising and Public Relations (JMC 420) and Campaigns (JMC 640).

Her research focuses on health communication, particularly in reproductive and maternal care, examining the ethics of strategic messaging and how it shapes patients' decisions and well-being. Her recent work explores how noninvasive prenatal testing is marketed to pregnant people and how those messages affect informed decision-making, drawing on critical communication theory and qualitative methods.

Before joining KU, she spent nearly a decade at a communication agency in Washington, D.C., leading campaign strategy and media relations for clients such as Marriott, Google and the American Cancer Society. She brings that experience into the classroom, where students work with real clients like Yelp and learn the full campaign process, from research and audience insights to strategy and creative execution. She also advises KU's team for the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition, a national public relations competition.