Communications

Professor Emeritus

College of Arts & Humanities - Communication Studies

Bio

Dr. Anita Foeman is Professor Emeritus of the Communication and Media Department at West Chester University. She received her PhD from Temple University in 1982. Foeman was one of the first in her field to publish on diversity in the workplace as a positive development, her publication record and consulting work is extensive. For the past two decades, Foeman’s research has examined identity based on ancestry DNA data. This project has ancestry tested over 3000 individuals and is the most extensive program of its kind. Her work has received coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Here & Now on NPR, the BBC News Hour, National Geographic Magazine, National Geographic Explorer, and NOVA. Her coauthored book Who Am I? Identity in the Age of Consumer DNA Testing was released in February 2021 and received an award for Most Promising Textbook in 2022. She just competed a 12-part series for the Great Course organization (now Wondrium) entitled Identity in the Age of Ancestry DNA released in August 2021. She has another course in process.

Education

• B.A., Defiance College
• M.A., Temple University
• Ph.D., Temple University

Media

BBC
National Geographic
New York Times
Washington Post
NPR