Kimberly Phillips

Kimberly Phillips embarked on a career in journalism at 16 when a high school friend interested in starting a student newspaper recruited her help. She went on to intern and later work at the weekly paper in her Connecticut hometown, and after graduation from Central Connecticut State University joined the staff at the Register Citizen in Torrington. In early 2002, she moved to the Journal Inquirer in Manchester, rising through the ranks from reporter to town editor, state editor, and eventually news editor. After nearly 20 years at the JI, the last four as the newsroom’s top local editor, she shifted her professional path, wanting to get back to personally telling people’s stories. Phillips came to UConn in December 2021 to write for UConn Today and promote the University community’s achievements. She lives in the Hartford area with her husband and son.

Author Archive

Daisy flower blooming on a sand desert

Surviving Adversity Comes From Daily Choices

'We all will experience hardship, and what’s important is how you respond to it'

March 18, 2026 | Kimberly Phillips

Three people - one in overalls and a blue shirt, another in an orange shirt, and the third in a purple dress, pose arm-in-arm for a photograph.

‘None of us can escape aging’: Doctoral Project Looks at Getting Older in Northeastern CT

Asmita Aasaavari immersed herself in ethnographic research and slowly built relationships for her dissertation, which this year received support from a fellowship through the UConn Humanities Institute

March 16, 2026 | Kimberly Phillips

Research & Discovery
Teenager drinking beer surrounded by beer bottles

Study: Sympathy Works Best on Health Warnings

UConn professor's research pit narrative versus nonnarrative pictorial warning labels against one another and measured their emotive effects

March 3, 2026 | Kimberly Phillips

Research & Discovery
A brown bear forages for food in a forest.

Honors Thesis Asks Thoughts on Man-or-Bear Question, Tries to Assess Outside Influences

The survey asked five demographic questions and five research-based questions, including how the person feels about the trend, whether the question makes them feel validated or scapegoated, and if the debate accurately reflects real-world issues

February 26, 2026 | Kimberly Phillips

A woman with curly hair and red lipstick poses for a photo

‘Love Is Not a Plan’

UConn researcher talks about the different forms that caregiving can take, the result of absent social safety nets, and how ableism permeates the culture

February 24, 2026 | Kimberly Phillips

A man in a black sweatshirt and purple shirt stands in front of a pair of canvas oil paintings.

More Than Disease: Art Major with Goal of Becoming MD Humanizes Patients on Canvas

‘People make this crazy distinction between art and science, but they’re really just two sides of the same coin to me’

February 9, 2026 | Kimberly Phillips

A Renaissance painting of animals and a group of people, many scantily clothed.

UConn Faculty, Alum Help Bring Story of Tortured Renaissance Composer to Life

'Death of Gesualdo,' which premieres in the U.S. on Feb. 13 in New York City, is being staged as a tableau vivant, in which the actors strike poses to tell a story

February 3, 2026 | Kimberly Phillips

Alumni
Former U.S. Transportation Secretay Pete Buttigieg gestures while holding a microphone.

UConn Crowd Hears from Pete Buttigieg: ‘Hope is the consequence of action more than its cause’

'I would like to believe that there is a future where we can actually be negotiating between left and right'

January 26, 2026 | Kimberly Phillips

Three women sit at a table as the person in the middle gestures with her hands while talking.

UConn Ph.D. Candidate Fostering Partnership with Litchfield School for Diverse Learners

'Forman is a school that serves students with learning differences, but also explicitly teaches them how their brains actually work and learn. That’s been a passion of mine for over 20 years now'

January 19, 2026 | Kimberly Phillips

Community Impact UConn Voices
A female missionary poses with children outside

Study Finds That Missionaries Pull from Same Language Toolkit to Describe Experiences

'Life is full of challenging transitions. ... Our study gives us insight into the ways people draw upon language to give meaning and make sense of something that’s challenging'

January 14, 2026 | Kimberly Phillips

Research & Discovery