My research primarily focuses on health and science communication. Below are a few of my current project areas:
Leveraging online technologies for health promotion among minoritized communities.
My primary research program focuses on the development and evaluation of online interventions, exploring how online technological features can impact health behaviors. Presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, I developed a small group mobile app intervention to promote the adoption of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among young gay and bisexual men. By utilizing the capabilities of the online networks, the mobile app intervention was successful in promoting positive attitudes and intentions toward initiating PrEP.
Understanding key publics’ perceptions surrounding health and science-related issues.
I am currently working on collaborative projects focused on examining public perceptions surrounding LGBTQ+ health, vaccination, and climate change. I have recently published in Health and New Media Research and the Journal of Behavioral Medicine exploring perceptions surrounding PrEP. Previously, I have also led several papers, supported by the IGI Society Award grant, examining key stakeholder groups’ perceptions surrounding gene editing in journals such as Science Communication, Environmental Communication, and the Journal of Science Communication.
Designing persuasive messaging to promote health behaviors and science-related policies.
In a paper recently published in Scientific Reports, through three experiments (one preregistered with a nationally representative sample), we propose bypassing as an effective strategy to address misinformation without direct confrontation, shifting the focus from the misinformation to the outcomes of the misinformation itself.
Investigating the impacts of communicating about our social environment on health.
Most recently in Scientific Reports, my collaborators and I have examined the role of communicating about vaccine-supportive policies on social norms and vaccination intentions through a longitudinal survey and four preregistered experiments.