Education:

• Ph.D., Communication Arts & Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University
• Graduate Minor in Geography, The Pennsylvania State University
• M.A., Health Communication, Emerson College-Tufts School of Medicine Program in Health Communication
• B.S., Communication, Cornell University
  

Professional Experience:

Academic Appointments

• Assistant Professor, School of Communication Studies, Ohio University, 2010-present
• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, 2007-2010
• Graduate Assistant Instructor, Department of Communication Arts & Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, 2005-2010
• Research Assistant, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University, 2007-2008
• Graduate Assistant Instructor, Geography Department, The Pennsylvania State University, 2007

Related Professional Experience

• National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Grant Reviewer, 2008.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & George Mason University, The Public Health Response to Climate Change: Effective Health Communication and Marketing, Consultant and Participant, 2008.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Consultant, 2008.

• ORC Macro/Macro International (now ICF Macro), Project Manager, 2003-2005, Senior Research Associate, 2001-2003, Research Associate, 1999-2001.

• Journal of Health Communication, Managing Editor and Internet Editor, 1997-1999.

Publications: Publications in peer-reviewed journals, including Health Communication, Health Promotion and Practice, Journal of Adolescent Health, and PLoS ONE. Also invited and peer-selected papers presented at national conferences, including two top four papers.

Selected Honors and Awards: Top Paper in the Health Communication Division of the National Communication Association (2011), Top Four Paper Award in the Applied Communication Division of the National Communication Association (2009), Dissertation Award (2009), Graduate Research Award (2007), Center for Health and Risk Communication Fellow (2006-2009), University Graduate Fellow (2005-2006), Excellence in Scholarship Award (1998, 1999)

Research: My research focuses on the use of communication messages to change attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to health and environmental issues.

Research Interests:

• Health communication
• Health campaigns
• Message design
• Social influence and persuasion
• Emotion and emotional appeals
• Environmental communication
• Climate change communication
• Risk and disaster communication
• Health and environmental behavior change

Teaching Specialization: Health Communication, Health Campaigns, Quantitative Research Methods, and Social Influence