Ellen Jordan is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication studying family/interpersonal and health communication. Ellen earned her B.A. in Communication & Journalism from the University of St. Thomas and M.A. in Family Science from Concordia University St. Paul. Ellen’s research examines the communicative development and prevention of eating disorders, body image, and disordered eating in children and adolescents. By examining how parent-child communication influences the development of eating disorders, body image, and disordered eating, Ellen hopes to facilitate eating disorder prevention efforts. 

Ellen is a provisionally certified Family Life Educator (CFLE-P), and this training informs not only her approach to research but also her public scholarship. She enjoys translating research findings, and has created research-based infographics related to parent-child body image communication and children’s emotion regulation that have been shared on social media. Furthermore, Ellen currently works with faculty at the Center for Family Policy and Research, applying her FLE training on a grant related to Dr. Tashel Bordere's children's grief program. 

Ellen enjoys teaching, research, and service. In her time at Mizzou, Ellen has gained experience teaching Public Speaking, Business and Professional Communication, and Family Communication. Ellen is also involved with Dr. Colleen Colaner’s Open Adoption Research Lab and has collaborated with researchers at the Center for Body Image Research and Policy. She is highly engaged in service, as she is part of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee in the department and has held leadership roles within the Association of Communication Graduate Students.