Research

Publications, Papers, and Presentations

Journal Articles (Peer-Reviewed) (Titles link to articles)

Gardner, L., & Leshner, G. (In press; Accepted 12/14). The role of narrative and other-referencing in attenuating psychological reactance to diabetes self-care messages. Health Communication.

Sweeney, L., Warren, O., Gardner, L., Rojek, A., & Lindquist, D. (2014). A simulation-based training program improves emergency department staff’s communication. American Journal of Medical Quality, 29(2), 115-123.

Seltzer, T., Gardner, E., Callison, C., & Bichard, S. (2012). PR in the ER: Managing internal organization-public relationships in a hospital emergency department. Public Relations Review, 38(1), 128-136.

Leshner, G., & Gardner, E. (2010). Health communication. Oxford Bibliographies Online [electronic resource]. Oxford University Press.

Gardner, E. (2007). Is there method to the madness? Worldwide press coverage of female terrorists and journalistic attempts to rationalize their involvement. Journalism Studies, 8(6), 909-929.

Book Chapters

Gardner, L., Seltzer, T., Phillips, A. L. & Page, R. (2014). The influence of message source and cultivation strategies in a nonprofit public relations context. In R.A. Waters (Ed.), Public relations theory and practice in the nonprofit sector. New York: Routledge.

Gardner, L., Wilkinson, K. T., Merle, P. F., Luo, Y., Rahimi, M., Cui, B., Rybalko, S., & VanDyke, M. (2014). Press coverage of the 2012 U.S. presidential election: A multinational, cross-language comparison. In C. Bieber & K. Kamps (Eds.), The United States Presidential Election 2012: Perspectives from election studies, political and communication studies. Berlin: Springer VS.

Littau, J., Gardner, L., & Thorson, E. (2014). The impact of news “voice” on adolescent political efficacy. In E. Thorson, D. Shah, & M. McKinney (Eds.), Political socialization in a media saturated world. New York: Peter Lang Publishers.

Conference Papers and Presentations (Peer-Reviewed)

Sweeney, L. A., Gardner, L., Dykstra, L., Rojek, A., Bichard, S., Callison, C., & Seltzer, T. (2014, December). Project CLEAR! Communication leading to excellence and ameliorating risk. Poster presented at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 26th Annual National Forum, Orlando, FL.

Markham, D., & Gardner, L. (2014, August). Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Health Immersion Conference and its effects on diet and health behavior change: An extension of the Health Belief Model. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference, Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk Division, Montreal, Canada.

Gardner, L., Phillips, A., Seltzer, T., Callison, C., Sweeney, L., & Bichard, S. (2014, April). Improving internal communication quality in a hospital emergency department through training and sustainability efforts. Paper presented at the Kentucky Conference on Health Communication, Lexington, KY.

Gardner, L., Seltzer, T., & Page, R. (2013, June). The influence of message source and cultivation strategies in a nonprofit public relations context. Paper presented at the International Communication Association 2013 annual conference, Public Relations Division, London, England.

Gardner, L., Nutting, B. H., & Leshner, G. (2013, June). Explicating psychological reactance: Comparing self-report and psychophysiological measures to understand the impact of freedom-limiting language. Abstract presented at the International Communication Association 2013 annual conference, Information Systems Division, London, England.

Gardner, L., Ortiz, R. R., & Shafer, A. (2013, March). Understanding the effectiveness of health persuasion for Hispanic diabetics. Poster presented at the 2013 DC-area Health Communication Conference (DCHC), Washington, DC.

Gardner, L., Nutting, B. H., Green, J. D., & Cui, B. (2012, September). Explicating psychological reactance: Cognitive and emotional processing of threat-to-choice language in persuasive health communication. Abstract presented at the Society for Psychophysiological Research annual meeting, New Orleans, LA.

Gardner, L. (2012, August). Resistance, ethnicity and health: Designing messages that reduce reactance for Hispanic and non-Hispanic diabetics. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference, Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk Division, Chicago, IL. (Top Faculty Paper in Division)

Gardner, E. (2012, August). Cola Wars and applied research: Motivating students to think on their feet by gathering and presenting secondary research for communication planning in a single class period. Poster presented as a finalist at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference, Great Ideas For Teachers (GIFT) Competition, Chicago, IL.

Chuang, W-C., Sparks, J. V., Gardner, E., & Bradley, S. D. (2012, May). Continuous emotional response to the audio, visual, and audiovisual channels of television messages. Paper presented at the International Communication Association annual conference, Information Systems Division, Phoenix, AZ.

Gardner, L., & Shafer, A. (2012, April). Designing theory-based diet and physical activity messages to combat resistance to health persuasion with Hispanic diabetics. Paper presented at the Kentucky Conference on Health Communication, Lexington, KY.

Merle, P., Haislett, R., Kiambi, D., Bichard, S., Livingston, K., Borua, S., Sorensen, S., Kang, S., Seltzer, T., Gardner, E., & Callison, C. (2011, August). Branding health communication strategies aimed at healthcare professionals: An assessment of barriers, message tactics, and sustainability measures and their impact on the patient experience. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference, Mass Communication & Society Division, Boston, MA.

Gardner, E., & Leshner, G. (2011, May). The role of narrative and other-referencing in attenuating psychological reactance to diabetes self-care messages. Paper presented at the International Communication Association annual conference, Health Communication Division, Boston, MA. (Top Faculty Paper in Division)

Wirtz, J., Gardner, E., & Ngondo, P. (2011, March). Health public relations: How public relations theory can (and should) contribute to the practice of health campaigns. Paper presented at the Institute for Public Relations Research Conference, Miami, FL.

Seltzer, T., Gardner, E., Callison, C., & Bichard, S. (2011, March). PR in the ER: Internal public relations in a hospital emergency department. Paper presented at the Institute for Public Relations Research Conference, Miami, FL.

Len-Ríos, M., Jeong, J., Gardner, E., & Lee, Y. (2010, August). Advertisers’ use of model distinctiveness: Main model characteristics in Cosmopolitan and Latina magazines. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference, Mass Communication & Society Division, Denver, CO.

Stam, K., Gardner, E., Wang, Y., Rodgers, S., & Cameron, G. (2010, June). Traditional and emerging forms of advertising for health literacy promotions in the U.S. and Europe. Paper presented at the American Academy of Advertising 2010 European Conference, Milan, Italy.

Littau, J., Thorson, E., Oh, H. J., Jahng, R., Gardner, E., & Meyer, H. (2010, June). The role of two new measures of online political activity in political socialization responses on youth. Paper presented at the International Communication Association annual conference, Mass Communication Division, Singapore.

Littau, J., Gardner, E., & Thorson, E. (2009, August). The impact of news “voice” on adolescent political efficacy. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference, Mass Communication & Society Division, Boston, MA. (Second Place Paper in Division)

Kim, J., Lee, Y., Gardner, E., Park, H., & Cameron, G. (2009, May). What’s in a name? Health literacy leaders say plenty! Paper presented at the International Communication Association annual conference, Health Communication Division, Chicago, IL.

Leshner, G., Bolls, P., Sternadori, M., Bailey, R., Norris, R., Gardner, E., et al. (2008, October). The impact of Machiavellian and disgusting images in anti-tobacco ads on viewers’ message processing. Poster presented at the Society for Psychophysiological Research annual meeting, Austin, TX.

Leshner, G., Bolls, P., Moore, J., Gardner, E., Peters, S., Kononova, A., Bailey, R., & Wise, K. (2008, October). The impact of narrative and emotion of breast cancer survivor testimonies on message processing for African American female viewers. Poster presented at the Society for Psychophysiological Research annual meeting, Austin, TX.

Gardner, E., Eckler, P., Rodgers, S., & Chen, Q. (2008, August). Seeking health information online: Motivation and choice in online media. Presented at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2nd Annual National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media, Atlanta, GA.

Leshner, G., Bolls, P., Gardner, E., Moore, J., Peters, S., Kononova, A., Bailey, R., & Wise, K. (2008, August). Effects of African American breast cancer survivor testimonies on cognitive, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference, Minorities and Communication Division, Chicago, IL.

Bolls, P., Leshner, G., Moore, J., Gardner, E., Bailey, R., Kononova, A., Peters, S., & Wise, K. (2008, May). Stories of feeling and courage: The effect of narrative and emotional tone on processing cancer survivor stories. Paper presented at the International Communication Association annual conference, Information Systems Division, Montreal.

Leshner, G., Bolls, P., Moore, J., Peters, S., Kononova, A., Bailey, R., Gardner, E., & Wise, K. (2008, May). Cognitive and emotional effects of breast cancer survivor testimonies. Paper presented at the International Communication Association annual conference, Health Communication Division Montreal, Canada.

Gardner, E., Clark, N., Kim, H., & Topletz, W. (2007, April). When worlds collide: Citizen-produced media and repurposed traditional media content on YouTube. Paper presented at the "Expanding the Definition of Convergence and Integration" research colloquium at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.

Gardner, E. (2006, August). Is there method to the madness? Worldwide press coverage of female terrorists and journalistic attempts to rationalize their involvement. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference, Commission on the Status of Women, San Francisco, CA. (Top Student Paper in Division)

Non-Refereed Publications and Reports

Callison, C., Gardner, L., & Seltzer, T. (2013, May). Project CLEAR! research report: Three-wave survey of Anderson ED staff March 2011 – March 2013. Lubbock, TX: TTU College of Media & Communication. Electronic report.

Gardner, E. (2008, December). 2008 Health Literacy Leaders Survey summary and report. Columbia, MO: MU Health Communication Research Center. Electronic report.

Grants and Contract Work

Funded Proposals

Project CLEAR (Communication Leading to Excellence and Ameliorating Risk): Reinforcing the Importance of Quality Physician-Nurse Communication in the Emergency Room

  • $72,555 (subcontract of $299,575 grant), funded June 2010
  • Funding agency: Department of Emergency Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital
  • Role: Contractor (PIs: Lynn Sweeney, MD, and David Lindquist, MD, Brown University)

  • Planned, collected, analyzed, and reported formative and evaluative research including focus groups, key informant interviews, and a three-wave survey to assess internal communication among physicians, nurses and other emergency department (ED) staff; Wrote and edited research reports for hospital and grant administrators; Developed and assessed a branding/sustainability campaign to support communication training for all ED staff members, including the development and production of communication strategies and tactics for use in the ED, ranging from identifying opinion leaders and fostering word-of-mouth messages to designing and delivering promotional and marketing materials such as name badges with key messages and branded medical shears

Understanding the Effectiveness of Health Persuasion for Hispanic Diabetics

  • $2,000, funded November 2012
  • Funding agency: Texas Tech University Office of Institutional Diversity (one of three Faculty Diversity Development Grants awarded)
  • Role: Primary Investigator
  • Planned, conducted, analyzed, and reported focus groups with adult Hispanic/Latino diabetics to examine the role of culture in resistance to and acceptance of health messages directed at diabetics, including issues such as diabetes self-management, and family diet and exercise practices

Submitted Proposals

Development of Book and Instructional Videos for the Research Framework and Fast Track Study Framework Developed by Military Health System’s Facilities Innovation and Research Model (MHS FIRM)

  • $304,105, not funded, proposal submitted June 2014
  • Funding agency: Department of Defense, Military Health System
  • Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Debajyoti Pati, PhD, FIIA, IDEC, LEED AP, Texas Tech University)

Promoting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Choices to Latino Families through Fotonovelas

  • $287,000, not funded, proposal submitted February 2014
  • Funding agency: Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas
  • Role: Primary Investigator

PanHandle 48: The Texas Tech University College of Media and Communication 48-Hour Film Festival

  • $5,000, not funded, proposal submitted November 2012
  • Funding agency: Texas Tech University Office of Institutional Diversity
  • Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Robert Peaslee, PhD, Texas Tech University)

Additional Sponsored Projects

Missouri Health Literacy Enhancement

  • Funding agency: Missouri Foundation for Health
  • Role: Research Assistant to Principle Investigator Glen Cameron, PhD (2008-2009)
  • Analyzed interviews with 100 health literacy experts nationwide and presented findings to state legislators and health foundation leaders via a written report and teleconference; Insights from the report shaped creation of and strategy for Health Literacy Missouri, a collaborative of not-for-profit thought leaders and an online health information resource center, developed to improve consumers’ understanding of health care options, systems, and messages

Enhancing Cancer Coverage in Black Newspapers

  • Funding agency: National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health
  • Role: Research Assistant to Principle Investigator Glen Cameron, PhD (2009-2010)
  • Contributed to development of a successful grant re-funding proposal for an NIH CECCR (Center for Excellence in Cancer Communication Research) by conducting background research and drafting sections of the theoretical framework and conceptual overview; Project continued and expanded funding of the Ozioma News Service, which increased the quantity and quality of cancer reporting in newspapers with predominantly African-American audiences, ultimately bolstering these audiences’ understanding of and preventive behavior related to cancer

Effects of Breast Cancer Narratives on African-American Women

  • Funding agency: National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health, Center for Excellence in Cancer Communication Research
  • Role: Research Assistant to Contract PI Glenn Leshner, PhD (2008-2010)

  • Led data analysis, trained lab members to collect biometric data, recruited and ran participants, and helped write and present results of a psychophysiological experiment that examined the effectiveness of video testimonials from breast cancer survivors encouraging screening and prevention behaviors among African-American women

Testing the Impact of Public Health Framing and Rich Sourcing in Health News Stories

  • Funding agency: The California Endowment
  • Role: Research Assistant to Principle Investigator Renita Coleman, PhD (2007)

  • Created stimulus messages and evaluation measures, conducted pilot testing and data analysis, and recruited participants for experiments testing the public health model of reporting in news stories about diabetes, obesity, immigrant health, and smoking

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