Personal Statement
As an Associate Professor at the Department of Communication and Journalism and the BA/MD Program, Adjunct Research Professor at the Prevention Research Center and Associate Member of the University of New Mexico Cancer Center, I have (a) a commitment to leading research on the development, assessment, dissemination and implementation of multilevel health promotion interventions to reduce health disparities in community and clinic-based settings using diverse communication modalities; (b) a passion for increasing access to clinical trials and interventions to diverse populations; and (c) experience in partnering with interdisciplinary research teams on technology-based health communication research projects.
I have a broad background in health communication including message testing, in-depth interviews, focus groups, surveys and conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses of cancer communication. Directly related to this proposed research, I have experience in design, analysis and assessment of mHealth communication interventions.
I lead a research program examining diverse mobile applications, collaborated with colleagues on mHealth, life-style intervention targeting older cancer survivors in New Mexico, and on Dissemination and Implementation research and understanding and addressing disparities in recruitment to cancer clinical trials. In summary, my demonstrated record of successful and productive community engaged health communication research projects would allow me to successfully carry out the proposed study.