Iccha Basnyat

Associate Professor

Culture, gender and health; global health communication; South and South East Asia

Iccha Basnyat (PhD, MPH) is an Associate Professor of Global Health Communication in the Global Affairs Program with a joint appointment in the Department of Communication. Dr. Basnyat received her B.A. in Communication from the University of Utah, MPH from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and Ph.D. in (Health) Communication from Purdue University. Before joining Mason, Dr. Basnyat was a faculty in the Department of Communication & New Media at the National University of Singapore for a decade and in the School of Communication at James Madison University.

Dr. Basnyat's primary area of research examines the intersections of culture, gender, and health through an interdisciplinary approach, primarily focusing on South and Southeast Asia. She also examines health information seeking, exchange, and sense making as secondary research area.

Dr. Basnyat is the vice chair for the Health Communication Division (HCD) of the National Communication Association (NCA). She is also the program planner for the bi-annual DC Health Communication (DCHC) conference. She is also the Research Council Chair-Elect for NCA.

Dr. Basnyat is a senior editor for Health Communication as well as an associate editor for the Journal of International and Intercultural Communication and Frontiers in Communication: Health Communication section. She also serves on the editorial boards of Communication Monographs, Health Communication, and Journal of Applied Communication Research. She has served on numerous committees for the National Communication Association (NCA) and the International Communication Association (ICA). Dr. Basnyat served as an external expert for the World Health Organization's (WHO) guidance development on Learning and Capacity Building in Health Emergencies. Dr. Basnyat also serves on the board of the non-profit Nepali Women’s Global Network (NWGN).

Selected Publications

Edited Book
Basnyat, I., & Thompson, C.M. (Eds.). (Under Contract). Handbook of women and health communication. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

Ho, E. Y., Bylund, C. L., van Weert, J., Basnyat, I., Bol, N., & Dean M. (Five Volume Eds.). (2023). The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

Selected Journal Publications

Basnyat, I., & Pal, M. (2025). "Oh! She works in such a place”: Intersections of dirty work & stigma in Dohori entertainment establishments in Kathmandu, Nepal. Communication Monographs. DOI: 10.1080/03637751.2025.2461155

Ranjit, Y., Basnyat, I., Joshi, O, Khoshnood K., & Fisher, C. (2024). Risk Perceptions of Mobile Phone Use and Privacy Management Strategies of Female Sex Workers in Nepal: Implications for mHealth Practice and Research. Health Communication. 40, 691-701. DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2024.2363617

Zhao, X., & Basnyat, I. (2021). Gendered social practices in reproductive health: A qualitative study exploring lived experiences of unwed single mothers in China. Sociology of Health & Illness, 43, 1237-1253. DOI:10.1111/1467-9566.13292

Basnyat, I., & Chang, L. (2021) Barriers of seeking and receiving family support for caregivers of people with Dementia in Singapore. Dementia. 20, 2278-2293. DOI: 10.1177/1471301221990567

Zhao, X., & Basnyat, I. (2021) Lived Experiences of Unwed Single Mothers: Exploring the Relationship between Structural Violence and Agency in the Context of Chinese Reproductive Health Discourse. Health Communication. 36, 293-302. DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2019.1683953

Basnyat, I. (2020) Exploring Interlinkages of Gender, Power & Health in the Entertainment Establishment Based Bars and Restaurant Settings in Kathmandu Nepal. Qualitative Health Research, 30, 1409–1418, DOI: 10.1177/1049732320913854

Basnyat, I. (2020). Stigma, Agency & Motherhood: Exploring the Performativity of Dual Mother-Female Sex Workers Identities in Kathmandu, Nepal. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 13, 98-113. DOI: 10.1080/17513057.2020.1735486

Basnyat, I. (2017). Theorizing the Relationship between Gender and Health through a Case Study of Nepalese Street-Based Female Sex Workers. Communication Theory, 27, 388-406. DOI:10.1111/comt.12114

Basnyat, I. (2017). Structural Violence in HealthCare: Lived Experience of Street-based Female Commercial Sex Workers in Kathmandu. Qualitative Health Research. 27, 191-203. DOI. 10.1177/1049732315601665.

Basnyat, I. & Chang, L. (2017). Examining Live-in Foreign Domestic Helpers as Coping Resource for Family Caregivers of People with Dementia in Singapore. Health Communication, 32, 1171-1179, DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2016.1220346

Chang, L., & Basnyat, I. (2017). Exploring Family Support for older Chinese Singaporean women in a Confucian society. Health Communication. 32, 603-611. DOI. 10.1080/10410236.2016.1146568

Chang, L., & Basnyat, I. (2015). Negotiating biomedical and traditional Chinese medicine treatments among elderly Chinese Singaporean women. Qualitative Health Research, 25, 241-252. DOI: 10.1177/1049732314551991

Basnyat, I. (2014). Lived Experiences of Street-based Female Sex Workers in Kathmandu: Implications for Health Intervention Strategies. Culture, Health & Sexuality. 16:9, 1040-1051. DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2014.922620.

Basnyat, I. & Dutta, M. (2012). Reframing motherhood through the culture-centered approach: Articulations of agency among young Nepalese women, Health Communication, 27, 273-283. DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2011.585444

Basnyat, I. & Dutta, M. (2011). Family Planning (re)Defined: How Young Nepalese Women Understand & Negotiate Contraceptive Choices, Asian Journal of Communication, 21, 338-354. DOI: 10.1080/01292986.2011.574711

Dutta, M. & Basnyat, I. (2008). The Radio Communication Project in Nepal: A Culture Centered Approach to Participation. Health Education & Behavior, 35, 442-454. DOI: 10.1177/1090198106287450

Edited Journal Special Issue
Basnyat, I., de Souza, R., Team, V & Wilkin, H. (Eds.). (2024). Editorial: Centering women, health, and health equity in health communication. Frontiers in Communication, DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2025.1513715

Badu, E., Basnyat, I., Ho, E.Y., & Galibert, O. (Eds.). (2024). Editorial: Addressing (in)equalities and (in)equities in digital health communication. European Journal of Health Communication

Expanded Publication List

Gender, Culture and Health
Hingle Collier, A*., Basnyat, I., & Vijayakumar, S*. Intercultural Doctor-Patient Communication Experiences of Indian Women Living in Singapore (2024). Qualitative Research Reports in Communication. 1-11. DOI: 10.1080/17459435.2024.2329067

Riddick, B*., Kaur-Gill, S., Basnyat, I. Co-scripted Autoethnographies of (Re)thinking the Current Reproductive Justice Discourse in the United States. (2023). In T. M. Robinson., S. Singh., C.M. Joseph (Eds.). A Culturally-Centered and Intersectional Approach to Reproductive Justice: An Edited Collection. Lexington Publishing.

Basnyat, I., & Chang, L. (2021). Tensions in support for family caregivers of people with dementia in Singapore: A qualitative study. Dementia. 20, 2278-2293. DOI: 10.1177/1471301221990567

Zhao, X*., & Basnyat, I. (2018). Online Social Support for “Danqin Mama”: A Case Study of Parenting Discussion Forum for Unwed Single Mothers in China. Computers in Human Behavior, 80, 12-21. DOI: 10. 1016/j.chb.2017.10.045.

Basnyat, I. & Chang, L. (2017). Examining Live-in Foreign Domestic Helpers as Coping Resource for Family Caregivers of People with Dementia in Singapore. Health Communication, 32, 1171-1179, DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2016.1220346.

Basnyat, I. (2017). Theorizing the Relationship between Gender and Health through a Case Study of Nepalese Street-Based Female Sex Workers. Communication Theory, 27, 388-406. DOI:10.1111/comt.12114.

Basnyat, I., & Lim, C.** (2018). Perspectives of Young Chinese Singaporean Women on Seeking and Processing Information to Decide about Vaccinating against Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Women & Health, 58, 806-821. DOI: 10.1080/03630242.2017.1342741.

Basnyat, I. (2018). Self-reflexivity for Social Change: The researcher, I, and the researched, Female Street Based Commercial Sex Workers’, Gendered Contexts. In Dutta, M. and Zapata, D. (Eds.), Communicating for Social Change: Intersection of Theory and Praxis. Palgrave-McMillan, Singapore.

Chang, L., & Basnyat, I. (2017). Exploring Family Support for older Chinese Singaporean women in a Confucian society. Health Communication. 32, 603-611. DOI. 10.1080/10410236.2016.1146568.

Basnyat, I. (2017). Structural Violence in HealthCare: Lived Experience of Street-based Female Commercial Sex Workers in Kathmandu. Qualitative Health Research. 27, 191-203. DOI. 10.1177/1049732315601665.

Basnyat, I. (2014). Lived Experiences of Street-based Female Sex Workers in Kathmandu: Implications for Health Intervention Strategies. Culture, Health & Sexuality. 16:9, 1040-1051. DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2014.922620.

Basnyat, I. & Dutta, M. (2011). Family Planning (re)Defined: How Young Nepalese Women Understand & Negotiate Contraceptive Choices, Asian Journal of Communication, 21, 338-354. DOI: 10.1080/01292986.2011.574711.

Basnyat, I. (2011). Beyond Bio-Medicine: Health through Social and Cultural Understanding, Nursing Inquiry, 18, 123–134. DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1800.2011.00518.x.

Health Information Seeking, Exchange and Sense Making
Mohammadifirouzeh, M*., O, K.M., Basnyat, I. & Gimm, G. (2024). Factors Associated with Professional Mental Help-Seeking Among U.S. Immigrants: A Systematic Review. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. DOI: 10.1007/s10903-023-01475-4

Kim, Y., Meganck, S. & Basnyat, I. (2024). Effects of Internal Crisis Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Employee Perceptions of Communication Quality, Leadership, and Relational Outcomes. Corporate Communication. 29, 481-502. DOI: 10.1108/CCIJ-09-2022-0110

Sun, Y., Wang, P., & Basnyat, I. (2023). Voluntary or mandatory protective policy? The health behavior changes during the COVID-19 Wuhan lockdown. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health. 35, 200-203. DOI: 10.1177/10105395231158865

Kim, Y., Basnyat, I. & Meganck, S. (2023). The Role of Basic Crisis Response and Dialogic Competency: Employee Response to COVID-19 Internal Crisis Communication. Journal of Public Relations Research, 35, 37-61.DOI: 10.1080/1062726X.2022.2148673

Zhao, X., & Basnyat, I. (2022). Online Information and Support Seeking during COVID-19 Lockdown in Wuhan: Implications for Health Promotion. Health Promotion International, 37, 1-11. DOI: 10.1093/heapro/daac057

Sun, Y., Hu, Q., Grossman, S., Basnyat, I., & Wang. P. (2021). Comparison of COVID-19 Information Seeking, Trust of Information Sources, and Protective Behaviors in China and the US. Journal of Health Communication. 26, 657-666. DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2021.

Jiang, S., Basnyat, I., & Liu, P. (2021). Factors Influencing Internet Health Information Seeking in India: An Application of the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking. International Journal of Communication. 15, 22.

Richards, S., & Basnyat, I. (2021). A qualitative examination of women’s experiences with risk information exchange during pregnancy: Similarities in experiences across a multi-state U.S. based sample. Journal of Communication in Healthcare Strategies, Media and Engagement in Global Health. 14, 324-332. DOI: 10.1080/17538068.2021.1947095

Zhao, X., Fan, J., Basnyat, I., & Hu, B.* (2020). Social Media in Times of Crisis: Online Health Information Seeking using “#COVID-19 Patient Seeking Help” on Weibo in Wuhan, China. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 22, e22910. DOI: 10.2196/22910.

Basnyat, I., Nekmat, E., Jiang, S., & Lin J. (2018). Applying the Modified Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking to Online Health Information Seeking in the Context of India. Journal of Health Communication, 23, 563–572. DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2018.1493058.

Basnyat, I., & Lee, S.T. (2015). Framing of Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic in a Singaporean Newspaper. Health Promotion International, 30 (4), 942-953. DOI: 10.1093/heapro/dau028.

Chang, L., Basnyat, I., & Teo, D.** (2014). Seeking and Processing Information for Health Decisions among Elderly Chinese Singaporean Women. Journal of Women & Aging, 26 (3), 1-23. DOI: 10.1080/08952841.2014.888881.

Lee, S.T. & Basnyat, I. (2013). From Press Release to News: Mapping the Framing of the 2009 H1N1 A Influenza Pandemic. Health Communication, 28, 119-132. DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2012.65855

Dutta, M., & Basnyat I. (2010). The Radio Communication Project in Nepal: Culture, Power, and Meaning in Constructions of Health. In. K.K. Liew. (Ed.). Liberalizing, Feminizing and Popularizing Health Communications in Asia, Surrey, UK: Ashgate.

Dutta, M., & Basnyat, I. (2008). Interrogating the Radio Communication Project in Nepal: The Participatory Framing of Colonization. In H. Zoller & M. Dutta. (Eds.). Emerging Perspectives in Health Communication: Interpretive, Critical, and Cultural Approaches, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum

Dutta, M. & Basnyat, I. (2008) The Case of the Radio Communication Project in Nepal: A Culture-Centered, Rejoinder. Health Education & Behavior, 35, 445-460. DOI: 10.1177/1090198106296009.

Dutta, M. & Basnyat, I. (2008). The Radio Communication Project in Nepal: A Culture Centered Approach to Participation. Health Education & Behavior, 35, 442-454. DOI: 10.1177/1090198106287450.

Other collaborative research
Basnyat, I., & Zhao, X. Structural Violence (2023). In Ho, E., Bylund, C., van Weert, J., Basnyat, I., Bol, N., & Dean M. (Eds.). The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication. (Wiley Publishing).

Burns, J*., & Basnyat, I. (2023). Feminist Approaches to Health Communication. In Ho, E., Bylund, C., van Weert, J., Basnyat, I., Bol, N., & Dean M. (Eds.). The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication. Wiley Publishing.

Lantz, J., Liu, J.C., & Basnyat, I. (2022). Piloting Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Facilitate Online Discussion in Large Online Classes: A Case Study. In Cases on Innovative and Successful Uses of Digital Resources for Online Learning (pp. 204-222). IGI Global.

Kuang, K., Zhao, X., Basnyat, I., Tianping H.* (2022). From Offline to Online: Understanding Chinese Single Mothers’ Uncertainty Management in Interpersonal and Online Contexts. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.845760)

Dutta, M., Ramasubramanian, S., Barrett, M., Elers, C., Sarwatay, D., Raghunath, P., Tallam, E., Roy, S., Sorriano, C., Kaur, S., Dutta, D., Johnson, G.M., Mandal, I, Dutta, U, Basnyat, I., Ganesh, S., Pavarala, V., Sreekumar, T.T. (2021). Decolonizing Open Science: Southern interventions. Journal of Communication, 71, 803-826. (IF 7.270). DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqab027

Quah, P. L., Fries, L. R., Chan, M. J., Fogel, A., McCrickerd, K., Goh, A. T., Airs, I.M., Lee, Y.S., Pang, W.W., Basnyat, I …. & Wee, H. L. (2019). Validation of the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire in 5 and 6 year-old children: The GUSTO cohort study. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 824. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00824.

Lim, S.S., & Basnyat, I. (2016). Face and Online Social Networking. In In Lim, S.S. & Soriano, C. (Eds.) Asian Perspectives on Digital Culture: Emerging Phenomena, Enduring Concepts. Routledge International Media Studies series.

Basnyat, I. (2014). Nepal. In T. Thompson (Ed.) SAGE Encyclopedia of Health Communication. Sage Reference.

Basnyat, I., & Chang, L. (2014). Are you a "woman"? Representation of femininity in two women's magazines in Singapore, Cleo and Her World. Communication Research Reports, 31, 82-91. DOI: 10.1080/08824096.2013.845815.

Lim, S. S., Basnyat, I., Vadrevu, S.* & Chan, Y. H.* (2013). Critical Literacy, Self-Protection and Delinquency: The Challenges of Participatory Media for Youths At-Risk. Learning, Media and Technology, 38, 154-160. DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2013.756515

Lim, S. S., Chan, Y. H*., Vadrevu, S*. & Basnyat, I. (2013). Online and offline networks: Investigating the relationship between peer interaction and juvenile delinquency. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 8-15. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2012.04.025.

Lim, S., Vadrevu, S.*, Chan, Y.H.*, & Basnyat, I. (2012) Facework on Facebook: The online publicness of juvenile delinquents and youths-at-risk. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 56, 346-361. DOI: 10.1080/08838151.2012.705198.

DeSouza, R., Basu, A., Kim, I., Basnyat, I., & Dutta, M. (2008). The Paradox of Fair Trade: The Influence of Neoliberal Trade Agreements on Food Security and Health. In H. Zoller & M. Dutta. (Eds.). Emerging Perspectives in Health Communication: Interpretive, Critical, and Cultural Approaches, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Mattson, M., & Basnyat, I. (2007). Infusing HIV Test Counseling Practice with Harm Reduction Theory: An Integrated Model for Voluntary Counseling and Testing. In T. Edgar., S. Noar., V. Freimuth (Eds.). Communication Perspectives for HIV/AIDS in the 21st Century. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.

*Graduate or ** undergraduate student collaborator at the time of writing.

Courses Taught

GLOA 101: Introduction to Global Affairs

GLOA 388: Global Health and Development

GLOA 600: Global Competencies
Fall Topic: Globalization
Spring Topic: Global Health & Globalization

GLOA 615/COMM 690/COMM 890: Global Health Communication: Critical Perspectives

COMM 620: Health Communication

GLOA 710: Seminar Abroad
Global Health & Development, Nepal
Crossroads of Global Affairs, South Korea

GLOA 720: Capstone Research Seminar

COMM 725: Qualitative Research Methods

In the Media

#InternationalWomensDay: Breaking barriers in academic research: How gender, race, and culture shape health communication