Background
I teach and conduct research in the area of health communication, with a background in communication, social psychological theories, persuasive strategies, and quantitative research methods. Before my move to Hawaiʻi in 2001, I worked at the Arizona Cancer Center as well as at the Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention. I engage in multi-disciplinary research activities as a faculty member of the School of Communication and Information, the Cancer Center, and the Center for Korean Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi.
Education
- PhD, Communication, Stanford University, 2000
- MA, Stanford University, Political Science, 1992
- MA, Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1988
- BA, English Literature, Ewha Women’s University (Seoul, Korea), 1984
Specializations
Health communication; environmental communication; persuasion and social influence; and campaigns.
Research
My research focuses on investigating normative influences in the context of health. Specifically, I study the process through which culture and social norms influence an individual’s perceptions related to health, and how these perceptions ultimately influence their health behaviors. As a health communication expert in translational research, I have worked on various intervention projects to assess the effectiveness of community-based interventions for tobacco, cancer prevention, youth violence and HIV prevention in California, Arizona and Hawaiʻi. Since my arrival in Hawaiʻi, I have generated grants and contracts totaling $1.2 million as a principal investigator, and have contributed to generating an additional $15 million as a co-investigator.