The Institute for Hispanic and International Communication

Affiliated Faculty

Dr. Todd Chambers
Chair, Department of Electronic Media and Communications
Research Interests:Media management and economics, the use of Spanish-language media, adoption of communication technology and health communication.
E-mail: todd.chambers@ttu.edu

Dr. Liz Gardner
Assistant Professor, Department of Public Relations
Research Interests: Health message design, particularly to address health disparities and underserved populations; resistance to persuasion; health literacy; strategic communication campaigns
Email: liz.gardner@ttu.edu

Dr. Yunjuan Luo
Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism
Research Interests: Political communication; international communication; social and political impact of new media; communication theory, particularly agenda-setting theory.
Email: yunjuan.luo@ttu.edu

Dr. Robert Moses Peaslee
Assistant Professor, Department of Electronic Media and Communication
Campus Coordinator, Global Film Initiative “Global Lens” Film Series
Research Interests: Fandom and identity, international mass communication, critical approaches to media culture, film production and criticism.
E-mail: robert.peaslee@ttu.edu

Dr. Autumn Shafer
Assistant Professor, Department of Public Relations
Research Interests: Design and evaluation of theory-based health communication campaigns; narrative persuasion; mass media effects on health-related attitudes and behaviors.
E-mail: autumn.shafer@ttu.edu

Dr. John Wirtz
Assistant professor, Department of Public Relations
Research Interests: Intersection of mass media campaigns and interpersonal communication; the flow of health information between first- and second-generation Hispanic immigrant populations; use of traditional and nontraditional sources of health information.
E-mail: john.wirtz@ttu.edu

Dr. Kenton T. Wilkinson
Institute Director
Research Interests: Hispanic-oriented media in the U.S., international communication, influences of culture and language in cross-cultural and health communication.
E-mail: kent.wilkinson@ttu.edu

Dr. Weiwu Zhang
Assistant professor, Department of Public Relations
Research Interests: Role of media use, strategic communication, and interpersonal communication in social capital and civic engagement in Europe and the United States; social media in public relations and politics; political public relations.
E-mail: weiwu.zhang@ttu.edu

Affiliated Graduate Students

Arijit Basu
Ph.D. Program
Research Interests: Cross-cultural branding strategies, cultural identity and persuasion, cultural consequences of marketing communications
Email: Arijit.basu@ttu.edu

Brandon Bouchillon
Ph.D. Program
Research Interests: Journalism and new media, social movements, specifically the way SMO's use mediated communications, Social Capital, mixed methods, and the framing effects of particularly lopsided news media frames.
Email: b.bouchillon@ttu.edu

Jessica R. El-Khoury
Ph.D. Program
Research Interests: Cross-cultural communications, electronic media and social media, how different communication tools can be used as a mechanism for improvement (societal awareness and action).
Email: Jessica.el-khoury@ttu.edu

Krit Kachathan
MA Program
Research Interests: Effects of foreign aid on press freedom in developing countries, the relationship between democratization processes and media freedom
E-mail: kritsadathan.kachathan@ttu.edu

Hyo Jin Kim
Ph.D. Program
International communication especially in Korean culture and science communication.
E-mail: hj.kim@ttu.edu

Patrick Merle
Ph.D. Program
Research Interests: Study of foreign correspondents, foreign news; Media Ethics; Comparative studies: France-USA
E-mail: patrick.merle@ttu.edu

Prisca S. Ngondo
Ph.D. Program
Research Interests: Health communication and public relations in health campaigns and organizations.
E-mail: ps.ngondo@ttu.edu

Philip Poe
Ph.D. Program
Research Interests: Perceptions of mass-mediated health messages targeted at underserved populations and and health perceptions and attitudes among rural Hispanics/Latinos.
E-mail: philip.poe@ttu.edu

Mehrnaz Rahimi
Ph.D. Program
Research Interests: E-journalism, Internet and its impacts on printed media, online social networking and its impacts on social movements, media depictions of countries, ethnic groups and political/social figures.
E-mail: mehrnaz.rahimi@ttu.edu

Yackjaira Ruiz
MA Program
Research Interests: International communication and public relations as well as Spanish-language media.
Email: yackjaira.ruiz@ttu.edu

Lakshmi N. Tirumala
Ph.D. Program
Research Interests: Impact of visual medium on cultural identity construction and assimilation process among minorities in United States.
E-mail: desican.tirumala@ttu.edu