Research Statement

My research interests intersect at health communication and digital/social media. As an experienced professional in strategic health communication, my research agenda has utilized my career knowledge and the needs I’ve witnessed in the field. I display in my past, current, and future research endeavors a commitment to advancing knowledge in new media health communication.

Early Research

My past research focused on ethics and policies in disseminating health information. My graduate work for my master’s degree dealt with ethical theory associated with health journalism and its association with biomedical ethics. Conference presentations included proposing a new ethical framework for health journalism, which the Association of Health Journalists disseminated to their members (Cox, 2006, 2007). In my professional career, my research specifically targeted policy and delivery methods related to national health statistics. In addition to working on an international task force to write a guide for presenting statistics to the media and the public (Blessing et al., 2010), I also presented at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe concerning the use of pre-releasing health data reports to enhance the relationship between the media and a government agency (Cox, 2009).

Current Research

I continue to pursue my passion for health communication research, especially in regards to digital and social media strategy. Because so much of my professional experience was influenced by the development and implementation of social media, I currently am exploring how social media and other types of digital messages are framed and delivered to be most effective in influencing attitudes and behaviors.

For my dissertation, I am specifically studying the framing and delivery of messages for suicide gatekeepers to better understand how certain messages result in peer intervention. My current research includes:

• Social media framing for suicide gatekeepers using theory of planned behavior (Cox, 2020, in press).
• Flow theory and novelty theory in relation to virtual reality (VR) experiences.
• VR immersion and intention toward performing protective health behaviors, such as storm shelter purchase intention and seatbelt/child-restraint use.

Future Research

My future research interests lie in exploring innovative digital and social media platforms and technology, including VR and augmented reality (AR), especially those gaining global popularity, in order to better reach and engage specific populations. I am specifically interested in this type of research as it relates to attitude reinforcement, attitude change, and influence on behavioral intention. Areas I wish to target include, but are not limited to, the following:

• New and unique digital message delivery systems that encourage the use of preventative healthcare services and devices.
• Persuasive and immersive uses of VR and AR technology.
• Digital message effectiveness for young adults in regards to suicide prevention, safe sex, and domestic violence reporting. 

I work with both qualitative and quantitative methods, depending on the research question, and am especially interested in studies that can be executed through experiments, surveys, phenomenological inquiry, case study, and qualitative content analysis. I enjoy working on research teams in addition to solo research projects, and I believe strongly in introducing undergraduate students to academic research during their college education.

References

Blessing, C., Comerford, F., Cox, M., Debusschere, M., Dickinson, J., Dougherty, E., & Flanders, J. (2010). Making data meaningful part III: A guide to communicating with the media. Geneva: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

Cox, M. M. (in press). Framing social posts for suicide gatekeepers through theory of planned behavior. Southwestern Communication Journal, 36(1).

Cox, M. M. (2020, October). “Framing Messages for Suicide Gatekeepers through Theory of Planned Behavior.” Virtual conference presentation at the Southwestern Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Symposium.

Cox, M. M. (2009, May). “The National Center for Health Statistics & the OMB Directive.” Oral presentation at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s conference on communicating statistics in Warsaw, Poland.

Cox, M. M. (2007, August). “Communitarian Theory and Health Journalism: The Feeling is Mutuality.” Poster presentation at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication National Convention in Washington, DC.

Cox, M. M. (2006, October). “Hippocrates, Democracy, and the Journalist: A New Ethical Formula for Health Reporting.” Conference presentation at the Southwestern Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Symposium in Baton Rouge, LA.