Lisa Burns

Dr. Lisa M. Burns is a Professor of Media Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in communication from the University of Maryland at College Park. Dr. Burns teaches courses including Media, History & Memory; Media & Society; Media Trend Forecasting & Strategy; Political Communication; Media Critics & Influencers; and Celebrity Culture. Her edited collection "Media Relations and the Modern First Lady: From Jacqueline Kennedy to Melania Trump" was released in 2020. Her previous book, "First Ladies and the Fourth Estate: Press Framing of Presidential Wives," was published in August 2008. She has also published several journal articles and book chapters on first ladies. Her research interests include media history, political communication (particularly media coverage of U.S. first ladies and presidents), public/collective memory, and media criticism.

Dr. Burns is the former chair of Quinnipiac's Faculty Senate (2015-2018). At the national level, she currently chairs the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) History Division Book Award and is the past head of the AEJMC History Division.

A former broadcast journalist, Dr. Burns won several awards for her work. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, she is a self-professed “media junkie” and a die-hard hockey fan.