Dr. Renee Botta

US BOARD CO-CHAIR

Renee Botta, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Media, Film & Journalism Studies at the University of Denver. She has spent 20 years working in Haiti and throughout Africa to improve health outcomes through health promotion and participatory communication. Her research focuses on culture-centered dialogue, relationships and messaging in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. Renee is particularly interested in developing participatory communication models tailored to the local socio-cultural context. She’s also interested in the motivational role that income-generating activities and community-driven social innovation play in sustaining behavioral change and in sustaining health outcomes. Renee studied communication about HIV and AIDS as a Fulbright Scholar in Zambia in 2003. She continues to study health communication and behavior change in a number of countries including Malawi, Haiti, Zambia, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Botswana, and the United States. She has also focused on WASH in Kenya, Malawi and Haiti and since COVID-19 has been looking at similar issues in Denver among those experiencing homelessness.