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Lederman to receive Rutgers alumni honor


December 15, 2009

Linda Costigan Lederman, ASU's Dean of Social Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is being recognized by Rutgers University with a distinguished alumni award. She will receive the Rutgers Graduate School-New Brunswick Alumni Award for Distinguished Accomplishments and Service in the Social and Behavioral Sciences on March 5. The honor is given to alumni of the Graduate School who have become notable in their chosen careers.

Lederman, a professor in ASU's Hugh Downs School of Communication, holds a doctorate in communication and information systems from Rutgers. Before joining ASU in 2006, she was a professor of communication at Rutgers and one of two founding directors of its Center for Communication and Health Issues. At Rutgers, she served as a leader in the development of the School of Communication and Information master's program in communication and information studies. Lederman also served as chair of Rutger's Department of Communication from 1991-1996 and oversaw the growth of a department with more than 1,100 majors.

Internationally recognized as a health communication scholar who exemplifies the very best in applied communication research, Lederman was named a Centennial Scholar of Communication this year by the Eastern Communication Association.

The Rutgers distinguished alumni award is presented for notable accomplishments in research, education, technology, leadership and service to the community, the nation or the world. Lederman's work has been published in the most highly regarded scholarly journals in her field, including Health Communication, Journal of American College Health, American Behavioral Scientist, Simulation/Gaming, Communication Quarterly, Communication Studies and Communication Education.

She is the author of 12 books and editor of "Beyond These Walls: Readings in Health Communication."

"Everyone is a product of their education and I am appreciative of the education I have received," Lederman said. "That's one of the reasons for my dedication in helping others with their education,"

Her research focus of health communication has an emphasis on alcohol use, abuse and addition. Her research has been funded by grants totaling more than $8 million from the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and U.S. Department of Justice.

Some of her research recently caught the attention of graduate students of communication at ASU. They wrote and performed "Drink, Drank, Drugged," an adapted performance text based on Lederman's research of dangerous college drinking.

Lederman, who has a master's in speech communication from Columbia University, and a bachelor's degree in English literature from Brown University, also is the executive director of ASU's Institute for Social Science Research.