About Me

The Basics: I am a professor in the department of Advertising and Public Relations in the College of Communication & Information Sciences at the University of Alabama. I joined UA in the fall of 2023 after over a decade working as a researcher and professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina.

My Research: I conduct research examining the effects of health-related, pro-social, and related forms of media content. For example, my previous studies have focused on topics related to media effects in the context of mental illness [1, 2], online health misinformation about childhood vaccinations [3, 4], and the interplay between media content and parental decisions to vaccinate their children [5, 6, 7, 8]. I am particularly interested in understanding these topics through the lens of advocacy and activism, which has become an increasingly prominent area of inquiry within my program of research [9, 10, 11, 12].  A common thread throughout my research and teaching is a deep fascination with research methods and their implications for media effects scholarship [13, 14].

My Teaching: As a faculty member in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations the University of Alabama, I teach graduate courses on mass communication theory and quantitative research methods as well as an undergraduate course on consumer psychology. I came to UA with a decade of teaching experience as a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina, where I taught research methods courses at both the undergraduate and graduate-level. These included the school’s undergraduate course on communication research, both the master’s- and doctoral-level seminars on research design, advanced quantitative research methods, and a special topics course on experimental research design. I also directed more than a dozen graduate student independent research projects, chaired 7 doctoral dissertation and master thesis committees, and served on 16 additional dissertation/thesis committees for graduate students in the program.  Each of my graduate advisees has either gone on to pursue a successful career in academia or prominent positions working in the private sector.

In addition to teaching research methods, I have also taught large introductory undergraduate courses on media and society, graduate seminars in mass communication theory and theory construction, science and health communication, and have co-led undergraduate study abroad courses in Cuba, Germany, and Austria.

My Experience as a Scholar: Throughout my career thus far, I have advised and collaborated with many outstanding Master’s and Doctoral students. That is something that I deeply cherish. I have also had the honor of working with/being mentored by some of the best colleagues on the planet, and I am continuously humbled by the sheer excellence and numerous accolades garnered by the faculty members I have had the privilege of working with throughout my academic career.

Other Stuff: Here are some additional links about me/my research

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