Research Director
Dr. Amanda J. Young
Dr. Amanda J. Young serves as the Research Director. Dr. Young provides leadership direction to launch and expand new research capabilities. Manage stand-alone research studies, drive research conducted by the foundation and produce insights and thought leadership we share in the sickle cell disease and rare disease community. Amanda Young, PhD, joined the faculty at the University of Memphis in 2004, after serving five years at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, where she conducted research in geriatric communication. In Memphis, she has conducted health communication research in a variety of settings, including Regional One Medical Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare System. Most recently focusing on sickle cell disease, Dr. Young works on developing communication strategies that enhance patient agency and build productive patient/provider relationships. She earned her PhD in Rhetoric, with a focus in healthcare, at Carnegie Mellon University, MA in Technical and Professional Writing from Eastern Washington University, and B.S. in English Composition from Davis and Elkins College.
