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Tanner Skousen Wins Best Theory Paper at ICIS

An image of Tanner Skousen

Just days after his son’s birth, BYU MISM alumnus Tanner Skousen and his co-authors received an award for Best Theory Paper at ICIS in Munich, Germany.

ICIS (the International Conference on Information Systems) is held each year and is an opportunity for professors and students to present research, learn from others, and network with the top IS scholars in academia. This year, Tanner Skousen (University of Georgia), Hani Safadi (University of Georgia), Elena Karahanna (University of Georgia), Fouad Chebib (Mayo Clinic), and Colleen Young (Mayo Clinic) presented their award-winning paper “Tension Resolution and Sustaining Knowledge Flows in Online Communities.”

Receiving the award at ICIS. Photo courtesy of Tanner Skousen.
Receiving the award at ICIS. Photo courtesy of Tanner Skousen.

This paper examined the Mayo Clinic Connect online patient community. Tanner explained “we are hoping to discover how to successfully moderate online communities to create productive and effective online communities.” He expresses gratitude for the honor that was received and everyone that worked on this research.

Tanner Skousen is currently a PhD student at the University of Georgia. While working on his PhD, Tanner has received many great research and academic opportunities. For this project, he was involved in researching the online clinic, developing the theory, writing, submitting the manuscript, and handling the reviews.

Upon arrival at UGA, Tanner was mentored by Dr. Safadi and Dr. Karahanna. They introduced him to a healthcare project that interested him and he was able to immediately get involved in the qualitative research and coding because Tanner had learned to code qualitative data while working as a research assistant for Dr. James Gaskin at BYU. This prior experience allowed Tanner to excel in this research.

Tanner at UGA. Photo courtesy of Tanner Skousen.

The IS program at BYU was invaluable in preparing Tanner for a PhD. While he was in the IS core, Tanner decided that he loved teaching, mentoring, and helping people. He thought that a PhD would be a great opportunity, so he decided to pursue the pre-PhD track in the MISM. He loved school, but he still wasn’t sure if he liked research.

Tanner stated, “I started working with Dr. Gaskin and had a wonderful experience with him. While I was there, we published a paper in the Frontiers in Psychology, and we got accepted to present in Ireland… [After that], I realized that I liked research and learning.”

With no IS PhD program at BYU, many current IS bachelor’s and master’s students receive opportunities to work with professors. Tanner expressed that this experience was the most valuable thing he gained in preparation for Georgia. In the classes he took, Tanner further explained that “the readings that we did in the seminars were the same readings here at UGA. That allowed me to have a head start in my first year of the PhD.”

“The connections [I made with] the faculty have been really helpful. They gave me such good advice, willingly mentored me, talked to me about school options, and explained how I could succeed [in a PhD program].” Tanner enjoyed meeting up with these professors who have supported and mentored him during the ICIS conference.

Tanner advises current students considering a PhD to join the pre-PhD track and become a research assistant. Through his own experience, Tanner found his passion for research that has led him to UGA. “I am just really grateful to the BYU faculty for the way they prepare their students and the way they have helped me.”