Han

About: Dr. Han teaches undergraduate Health Communication and Health & Risk Communication Campaigns courses and graduate Mass Communication Research Method and Technology and Health courses. Research foci include health communication and technology, health advertising, and health communication campaigns.

View Curriculum Vitae

Education

Ph.D., Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin – Madison  (Minor: Statistics in Social Science)
M.A., Communication, Seoul National University, South Korea
B.A., Communication, Seoul National University, South Korea (Summa Cum Laude)

Research Interests and Activities

Dr. Han's research program is multidisciplinary, situated at the intersection of theory and practice. Focused on strategic health communication campaigns and the social psychology of communication influence, his work investigates the impact of information and communication technologies on audience engagement and health outcomes. Dr. Han is internationally recognized for his contributions to the effectiveness and evaluation of health communication campaigns, as well as strategic health message development and testing. His research places particular emphasis on addressing information and health disparities among underserved or at-risk populations.

Articles presenting this work appear in leading communication, advertising, psychology, and public health journals: Journal of Communication, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Journal of Health Communication, Health Communication, International Journal of Advertising, Computers in Human Behavior, Health Education Research, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Journal of Health Psychology, and Mass Communication and Society.

Teaching Specialties

Dr. Han has taught ADPR health, Advertising and Communication Management, Insights & Analytics, and Quantitative Research in Mass Communication. He has developed and teaches Health & Risk Communication Campaigns and the graduate Technology and Health course. His Health & Risk Communication Campaigns class has collaborated with external clients such as ICF International and Brunet-Garcia Advertising.

Experiences

Dr. Han serves as an associate editor for International Journal of Advertising and sits on the editorial review board of three journals – Journal of Advertising, International Journal of Advertising, and Asian Communication Research. He is an active reviewer for 35 leading health and communication journals, including Journal of Health Communication, Health Communication, Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, and Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, among others.

Dr. Han is the director of Strategic Health & Risk Communication Program at Grady, aimed at equipping students with the requisite knowledge, skills, and practical experience in applying strategic communication principles to tackle public health challenges. Collaboratively developed with the College of Public Health, this program empowers students to address the dynamic health needs of society and apply their health promotion and communication expertise in practical settings.

In the realm of graduate education, Dr. Han has spearheaded the development and organization of the Analytics, Insights, and Measurement (AIM) Club, catering to the needs of graduate students. AIM Club hosts several faculty and graduate student-affiliated research groups, furnishing educational opportunities and resources tailored to graduate students. Dr. Han leads the Health & Environmental Advertising Research Team (HEART), which conducts research on the impact of health and environmental messages distributed across various media platforms within diverse health and risk contexts.

Strategic Health & Risk Communication Program

Analytics, Insights, and Measurement (AIM) Club

Awards and HONORS

Dr. Han has earned numerous top paper awards at leading international conferences, including International Communication Association (ICA) and Association for Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Dr. Han’s research program has been featured and cited in various books published globally, including The Social Net: Understanding Our Online Behavior (Oxford University Press), Research Anthology on Improving Health Literacy Through Patient Communication and Mass Media (IGI Global), Virtual Technologies and E-Collaboration for the Future of Global Business (IGI Global), The Handbook of Solitude: Psychological Perspectives on Social Isolation, Social Withdrawal, and Being Alone (Wiley), Media Influence: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice (IGI Global), and Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research (Routledge).

Dr. Han has played integral roles, serving as principal investigator, co-principal investigator, co-investigator, or expert consultant, in a multitude of projects focused on assessing the effectiveness of health communication campaigns, as well as the development and evaluation of multimedia campaigns. Additionally, he has been actively involved in testing and refining social media message strategies across a broad spectrum of health contexts. These projects have been funded by the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), the National Cancer Institute, the Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research, the University of Georgia Research Foundation, and the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research.

Previously, Dr. Han acted as an external consultant for two NIH-funded clinical trial studies, providing expertise to the communication theory and methods core. Additionally, he served as an external consultant for the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, aiding in the development of a long-term media strategy aimed at revamping the Institute's multi-channel digital workflow and dissemination processes.