She teaches in the areas of relational communication, communication theory and health communication. She is most passionate about helping students understand the value of communication in creating and maintaining strong and healthy interpersonal relationships. Mills has directed numerous masters’ theses and doctoral dissertations. Her research focuses on teasing and bullying in both children’s and adults’ relationships and disability in health contexts. Her work on defining teasing won the Southern Communication Association’s Rose B. Johnson Award, which honors a significant article published in the Southern Communication Journal. Her work can also be found in the journals Communication Education, Disability Studies Quarterly and Communication Teacher.