Public Health and New Media: Modes of Persuasion

Traci Hong’s program of research is at the nexus of health communication and new media technologies, where she advances communication theory by leveraging the media, including new media and social media, to promote behavioral change that can lead to beneficial health outcomes. She has examined how health media messaging can prevent smoking, vaping, alcohol consumption, and other risky health behaviors. She has also researched the related effects of peer influence, including as simulated in virtual gaming environments. Her work on social norms has been cited in the Surgeon General Report on Tobacco Health Disparities. Her most recent research employs AI, machine learning and social media analytics to make assessments pertinent to vaccine hesitancy and vaping behavior and policy. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Ford Foundation.

Hong was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and immigrated to the United States after the Vietnam War. Her earliest childhood memory in the U.S. was learning English by watching television—a formative experience that shaped her belief in the transformative power of media to foster positive outcome. At Boston University, she teaches courses on persuasion theory, media effects, and communication research methods. She is a Chapter Faculty Advisor for Tri-Alpha, the Honorary Society for first-generation college students. She serves on the Greater Boston Board of Directors of the American Heart Association, is a Core Director for Trust and Public Health Communication at the Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, and a Research Fellow and on the Steering Committee at the Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering.

Jeff Niederdeppe is the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Communication in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Research in the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University. He is a Founding Co-Director of the Collaborative on Media and Messaging (COMM) for Health and Social Policy (commhsp.org) and Associate Director of the Cornell Health Policy Center. His research examines the content and effects of mass media campaigns, strategic messages, news and social media in shaping health and social policy. His work has appeared in communication, public health, health policy, and medical journals, and his research has been funded in recent years by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Dr. Pagoto is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor, and behavioral scientist. She is a Professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut, Director of the UConn Center for mHealth and Social Media, and Past-President of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. Her research focuses on leveraging technology and social media for health promotion. She has had federal funding for her program of research for 24 consecutive years and has published 268 papers in peer-reviewed journals on these topics. An early social media pioneer in academia, she has traveled to universities and conferences nationally and internationally to give trainings in how to develop a social media presence. She was also featured as a social media expert in the recent documentary, A New Form of Capitalism: The Influencer Culture. She has also published in popular media outlets including Washington Post, Huff Post, USA Today, Newsweek, Salon, Chronicle of Higher Education, Times Higher Education, US News and World Report, and Psychology Today.

Dr. Monica L. Wang is an Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Executive Editor of Public Health Post. She is an award-winning researcher and educator specializing in the social and structural determinants of health, chronic disease prevention, and health communication.

Over the past 12 years, she has served as Principal Investigator on NIH and foundation-funded research totaling more than $6 million, advancing efforts to improve nutrition and support the health of children, families, and underserved communities. Her work has been published in leading academic journals including JAMA and JAMA Pediatrics and featured in outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Forbes, National Geographic, The Boston Globe, and CBS.

A dedicated educator with formal training in case-based and online teaching, Dr. Wang has developed and taught graduate-level courses on the social determinants of health, health communications, and leadership and management at Harvard and Boston University since 2010. She has received numerous awards for research, teaching, and service, including the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Leading the Narrative Award and Early Investigator Award, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Ten Outstanding Young Leaders Award, and Boston University’s Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Public Health Practice awards.

Dr. Wang earned her Doctor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Her work is driven by a commitment to bridging research and real-world application, with a focus on practical, evidence-based solutions that improve health for individuals and communities most in need.