Leanne Knobloch (she/her/hers) is a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research examines how couples and family members communicate during times of transition, with a special focus on how military families negotiate the deployment cycle. Her scholarship has been honored by the Golden Anniversary Monograph Award and the Charles H. Woolbert Research Award from the National Communication Association, and she is a fellow of both the International Communication Association and the International Association for Relationship Research. On campus, she was named a University Scholar in recognition of outstanding research, teaching, and public engagement.
Prof. Knobloch has been a panelist for the DoD Grant-Seeking Workshop with IHSI and has also collaborated with IHSI’s research development team on a DoD grant.
Can you describe a goal you are currently pursuing?
To me, the value of research lies in making the world a better place. My work focuses on understanding how military families communicate across the cycle of deployment and reunion. I am passionate about my research because supporting military families (1) enhances their ability to serve their country, and (2) bolsters the well-being of everyone they protect.
How has the focus of your research changed or evolved since you first started in the field?
Over time, my research on military families has branched out from applying theories about how communication occurs in civilian families to developing frameworks specifically tailored to the experiences of military families. Along the way, I have built connections with nonprofit organizations working to support military personnel and their families, and I have enjoyed partnering with those nonprofit organizations to evaluate the effectiveness of the services they provide.
How is most of your research funded? Can you share how your approach to seeking funding is changing in the current funding climate?
My work on military families has been funded by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As the landscape for research funding grows increasingly more competitive, granting agencies are paying special attention to a study’s ability to test generalizable claims while identifying solutions to real-world problems. Accomplishing both in a single project is a tall task for health scientists.
What is something you want your colleagues to know about you or your research? What would you like to know about other researchers?
I love learning about how other researchers are using their work to serve the common good. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is an exciting place where cutting-edge studies are being conducted every day to tackle some of society’s most intractable problems. One of the best parts of my job is hearing about how researchers around campus are helping to build a brighter future.
Are there new research areas that you are interested in pursuing in the next 3 - 5 years?
I’ve begun a set of studies investigating how couples cope with the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Not only is TBI one of the leading causes of death and disability in civilian populations, but it is a signature injury of recent military conflicts because of heightened blast exposure. TBI can turn people’s lives upside down in a split-second, and identifying ways to help couples adapt to the changes sparked by TBI is a high priority.
IHSI affiliates demonstrate leadership and commitment to improving human health. The IHSI affiliate program is designed for those who wish to deepen their relationship with IHSI and contribute to its mission of catalyzing interdisciplinary health research that addresses personal, public, and planetary health challenges. Affiliates enjoy increased visibility and opportunities to engage with and benefit from IHSI staff, other affiliates, and networks, both across campus and with external partners, and to help shape health research, innovation, and translation.
The IHSI Affiliate Program is currently open by invitation only. To become an IHSI affiliate, please contact your collaborators at IHSI, or request an invitation by emailing healthinstitute@illinois.edu. Please visit the IHSI Affiliate page for more information.