Jessie Wiggins is a PhD student in the Writing and Rhetoric program. Wiggins is also a Graduate Writing Coordinator in the Writing Center, consulting with students as they write their thesis or dissertation. Prior to attending Mason, she received her bachelor’s and master's from James Madison University. Her essay, “Hierarchy of life: Whose lives do we value?” was published in the International Journal on Responsibility's special issue on "Disability & The Pandemic."
In this five-question interview, Wiggins discusses her study of rhetoric and medicine, reflects on the challenges of the writing process and knowing yourself as a writer, and offers a shout-out to her favorite bookstore in Delaware.
What topic are you pursuing for your thesis and how is the research process going? What inspired you to choose this topic?
For my dissertation, I am examining the ethos of medicine as it relates to expertise and authority. A key site where this tension has surfaced is in conversations about blood donation. Some patients, for example, have requested blood from unvaccinated donors, expressing fears that blood donated by those who have received a Covid-19 vaccine is unsafe.
While interviewing clinicians for a project with Dr. Heidi Lawrence on vaccinated blood concerns, I noticed many clinicians describing a growing rejection of their expertise and of biomedical authority more broadly. At the same time, I was also analyzing vaccine-hesitant discourse online and noticed that patients were assessing trust in a completely different way than biomedicine typically appeals to. My dissertation will use both interviews and surveys to assess patient concerns in relation to clinician perspectives. The research process is ongoing, and I am now preparing to distribute surveys.
What do you find is the most challenging about your research or writing process? What do you find the most rewarding?
With both research and writing, it’s an amazing feeling to have the work click into place. When I finally find the words that I’ve been looking for, or when the synthesis of my data makes sense after hours of thinking it over, or when I get the organization for a paper just right—it’s a wonderful feeling. It’s rewarding when the time and effort pay off, especially when I finish with a stronger understanding and feel like my conclusions are meaningful.
The challenging part is getting there: knowing when the work isn’t right yet; knowing when to take a step back and leave space for new ideas; knowing when to keep going and not take a break; knowing when the work is good enough. Writing is an iterative process, so being flexible and allowing time for the research and writing to come together can be hard.
How do you hope your research will impact the field or community most connected to your study?
Recent years have brought significant changes in how some people view science and medicine, given the pandemic, with lasting impacts on trust and understanding. With my study, I hope to identify common understandings and clear articulations for the ideological and epistemological frameworks that often shape how patients and clinicians communicate, especially around issues like vaccine hesitancy and blood donation. By re-centering ethos, I aim to think beyond the traditional models of what has been assumed to be persuasive, such as appeals to expertise, which seem to fall short. My hope is that this rhetorical work contributes to more intentional and invitational ways of framing trust in healthcare contexts.
As the new Graduate Writing Coordinator at Mason's Writing Center, you work with graduate students on their theses, dissertations, and other academic projects. How has your work on your own dissertation given you perspectives to advise how other graduate students approach their projects? And has your work with those other students informed or enhanced your own progress?
I love this question! Working as the Graduate Writing Coordinator has been so rewarding and lovely. I really enjoy working with other graduate students on their projects. Writing a thesis or dissertation is so challenging and the weight of it can be overwhelming for many. Plus, it’s a genre that writers most likely have never written before and will never have to write again. It’s amazing to witness a writer gain clarity and make incredible progress on their work. I enjoy learning from my writers and witnessing the knowledge that graduate students across the university are creating.
My own dissertation process helps me relate to what other writers are going through. We are all in it together, even if our projects are vastly different in subject or structure. Additionally, working with other writers has absolutely informed my own dissertation progress. My sessions remind me of how much is learned through the doing—showing up, writing through uncertainty, and trusting the process.
Outside of your academic work, what do you do for fun?
Last year I took on a ton between classes: getting married, working on multiple research projects, taking exams, beginning the dissertation process, traveling for both work and fun . . . So, one of my goals this year was to find activities I really enjoy and set aside more time for my hobbies. I’ve always enjoyed reading; I read mostly contemporary fiction and romance. I’ve taken up needlepoint this year and have completed four projects so far. It’s nice to listen to a podcast and do something with my hands, like needlepoint or coloring. My ideal day would be stopping at a bookstore—my favorite is Browseabout Books in Delaware—reading on the beach, and swimming in the ocean. Oh, and maybe grabbing some pizza, too.
May 13, 2025