Autumn Shafer
Assistant Professor
Department of Public Relations
About Me
- I'm married to my college sweetheart. We have two little dogs who love the Texas heat. I enjoy fishing, hiking, reading, and the occasional reality television show.
Research Specialty
- My research agenda focuses on the intersection of communication, persuasion, and health behavior theories. I have two complimentary streams of research: (1) theory-based health communication campaign design and evaluation and (2) individual message processing and effects, specifically related to health outcomes and narratives. I enjoy working on health communication campaigns because these projects provide a bridge between research and application. My lab-based research investigates the effects of exposure to mass media on health-related beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Although much research has examined the harmful effects of popular media on health behaviors, I have explored the possibility that media may also positively influence health, especially when health messages are embedded within an engaging narrative. My principal topical focus is sexual health among adolescents, although I have also studied health messages about tobacco, HPV vaccination, diabetes, and eating disorders. I often approach research questions from an interdisciplinary perspective that draws from communication, public health, social psychology, and consumer behavior.
Main Methodological Approaches
- Experimental
Education
- Ph.D., Mass Communications, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
- Graduate Certificate, Interdisciplinary Health Communication, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
- M.A., Public Relations, Washington State University
- B.A., Communication/Political Science, Washington State University
Upcoming Graduate Courses Teaching
- Health Communication
Experience
- My professional background is in public relations and political communications. I have worked as a political campaign manager, field director, and state legislative aide. Recently, I helped develop and evaluate two social marketing campaigns focusing on preventing cervical cancer and easing caregiver burden for parents of children with eating disorders.
Publications in Last 5 Years
- Cates, J.R., Ortiz, R.R., Shafer, A., Romocki, L.S., & Coyne-Beasley, T. (in press). HPV vaccine for males: Designing messages to motivate parents to vaccinate their pre-teen sons. Perspectives in Sexual and Reproductive Health.
- Shafer, A., Cates, J.R., Diehl, S.J., & Hartmann, M. (2011). Asking Mom: Formative research for an HPV vaccine campaign targeting mothers of adolescent girls. Journal of Health Communication, 16, 988-1005.
- Cates, J.R., Shafer, A., Diehl, S.J., & Deal, A. (2011). Evaluating a county-sponsored social marketing campaign to increase mothers' initiation of HPV vaccine for their pre-teen daughters in a primarily rural area. Social Marketing Quarterly, 17(1), 4-26.
- Patel, S. Shafer, A., Zucker, N.L., & Bulik, C.M. (2011). Caring for yourself is caring for your child: Helping parents of children with eating disorders receive health care for themselves. In M. Brann (Ed.), Contemporary Case Studies in Health Communication: Theoretical and Applied Approaches. Dubuque, IA: Kendall-Hunt.
- Zucker, N.L., Loeb, K.L., Patel, S., & Shafer, A. (2011). Parent groups in the treatment of eating disorders. In D.L. Grange and J. Lock (Eds.), Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents: A Clinical Handbook. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
- Cates, J.R., Shafer, A., Dillman Carpentier, F., Reiter, P.L., Brewer, N.T., McRee, A., & Smith, J.S. (2010). How parents hear about HPV vaccine: Implications for uptake. Journal of Adolescent Health, 47, 309-311.
- Reiter, P.L., Cates, J.R., McRee, A., Gottlieb, S., Shafer, A., Smith, J.S., & Brewer, N.T. (2010). Statewide HPV vaccine initiation among adolescent females in North Carolina. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 37(9), 549-556.
- Pinkleton, B.E., Austin, E.W., Cohen, M., Miller, A.*, & Fitzgerald, E. (2007). State-wide evaluation of the effectiveness of media literacy to prevent tobacco use among adolescents. Health Communication, 21(1), 23-34.
* Maiden name
College of Media & Communication, Box 43082, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409
806.742.6500