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Jennifer Anderson

Jennifer Anderson, Associate Professor of Communication in the School of Communication & Journalism at South Dakota State University

Title

Professor, Communication Studies

Office Building

Pugsley Center

Office

115B

Mailing Address

Pugsley Cont Ed Center 115B
School of Communication & Journalism-Box 2218
University Station
Brookings, SD 57007

Biography

Jenn Anderson (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is a Professor of Communication Studies in the School of Communication & Journalism at South Dakota State University.

Dr. Anderson's teaching, research, and service are in the area of Health Communication. She launched the Health Communication Minor in 2014, taking it fully online in 2018. She is also authoring a Health Communication textbook, which will be released in Fall 2024 by Cognella Publishing. Dr. Anderson has received over $600,000 in grant funding for health communication research and has 41 peer-reviewed publications in the field, which have been cited over 700 times. She currently serves as the Secretary for the International Collaborative for Interdisciplinary Health Communication Research, which is a partnership between the Health Communication Division of the International Communication Association and the European Association for Communication in Heath Care.

CV

Jennifer-Anderson-CV.pdf(1.05 MB)

Education

2012 | Doctor of Philosophy, Communication, Michigan State University.
2008 | Master of Arts, Communication, Miami University.
2004 | Bachelor of Arts, Communication, Truman State University.

Academic Interests

Health Communication
Stigma Communication
Community-Based Research
Social Justice
Research Methodology (surveys, measurement, interviews, focus groups, qualitative data analysis, statistics)

Academic Responsibilities

Dr. Anderson typically teaches 3 courses each semester, including:
-Interpersonal Communication (CMST 201)
-Communication Research (CMST 305)
-Health Communication (CMST 440/540)
-Current Issues in Health Communication (CMST 441/541)
-Research in Communication & Media (CMST 787)

Dr. Anderson also mentors undergraduate and graduate student research. Two of her advisees have won the Outstanding Master's Thesis Award from SDSU (2023--Shannon Pappas, 2019--Rikki Roscoe, Ph.D.) Her students have also published their research in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals, presented their research at local, regional, and national conferences, and won awards for their work at SDSU's Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Day event.

Committee Activities

-Secretary, International Collaborative for Interdisciplinary Health Communication Research
-Chair, School of Communication & Journalism Promotion and Tenure Committee
-Assessment Lead for Communication Studies Program, COJO Assessment Committee

Awards and Honors

Recent Awards

2023 | Federation Prize, Central States Communication Association, $5,000
2023 | Excellence in Online Teaching, $1,500 stipend, South Dakota State University
2022 | Top Paper, Political Communication Interest Group, Central States Communication Association

Grants

Recent Grants

O’Shay, S., Phillips, K., & Anderson, J. (2023-2024). Stigma management communication scale development. Central States Communication Association Federation Prize. Amount awarded: $5,000.

Anderson, J. (PI), & Isaacson, M. (PI). (2022 – 2023). Culturally responsive palliative care messaging for American Indians: An efficacy trial (Award No. R21NR020383) [grant]. National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health. Amount awarded: $368,794.

Professional Memberships

European Association for Communication in Healthcare
International Communication Association
National Communication Association
Central States Communication Association

Area(s) of Research

Health Communication

Stigma Communication

Community-Based Participatory Research

Applications of Research

Understanding how we talk about health issues helps us develop innovative, sustainable approaches to improving health in our communities. Here are a few examples of concrete applications of Anderson's research:

*Anderson's research about cyberbullying on Facebook has been used across the U.S. and Canada to develop anti-cyberbullying campaigns in K-12 school settings.

*Anderson's work with Brookings Supports Breastfeeding led to the South Dakota Department of Health's statewide Breastfeeding-Friendly Business Initiative, which encourages businesses to have policies and practices to support breastfeeding employees and customers.

*Anderson's breastfeeding research, and advocacy through the Faculty Senate, also led to an SDSU policy that all new buildings on campus must have a "Mother's Room" available for mothers to breastfeed or express breastmilk. All Mother's Rooms are also indicated on campus maps and with indoor signage.

Selected, recent publications

*Anderson, J. (2023). Ally communication. In E. Ho, C. Bylund, and J.C.M. van Weert (Eds.) International Encyclopedia of Health Communication. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119678816.iehc0904

*Anderson, J. (2023). Indigenous research methods. In E. Ho, C. Bylund, and J.C.M. van Weert (Eds.) The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119678816.iehc0535

*Anderson, J. & Coduto, K. (2022). Attitudinal and emotional reactions to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. American Behavioral Scientist. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642221132796

*Anderson, J., Lapinski, M. K., Turner, M. M., Peng, T.-Q., & Schmaelze, R. (2022). Speaking of values: Value-expressive communication and exercise intentions. Health Communication, 37(10), 1285-1294. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1886398

*Coduto, K., & Anderson, J. (2021). Cognitive preoccupation with breaking news and compulsive media use: Relationships with online engagement and motivations for use. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 65(3), 321-335. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2021.1972114

(For a full list of, and access to, research publications, follow the links to my Google Scholar Profile or Open Prairie page listed at the top of this page)

Department(s)

Links

Google Scholar Profile Online Health Communication Minor

Open Prairie

Open PRAIRIE - Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange

Open Prairie