Three TCNJ students presented refereed papers in poster sessions at the biennial Kentucky Conference on Health Communication held in Lexington, Kentucky April 2–4.
Communication studies majors Gabriella Rees ’26 and Timi Kapp ’26 presented papers on the cross-national coverage of men’s mental health and U.S. multicity coverage of opioid use. Alexa Gombas MPH/MBA ’26 presented a paper on the cross-national coverage of human trafficking.
All co-authored papers, senior-authored by the presenters, were written in classes in either communication research methods or international communication taught by John Pollock, professor in the Department of Communication, Journalism, and Film, and in the Department of Public Health. All papers employed his “community structure” approach, exploring links between variations in community demographics and systematic differences in reporting on critical health issues.
“In a trend inspired by Pollock, who began bringing his undergraduate students to KCHC decades ago, this year witnessed particularly strong undergraduate student representation, with multiple universities represented beyond TCNJ,” Nancy Harrington, long-time conference organizer, said.
Rees shared that her experience presenting her work was truly special and allowed her to expand her understanding of important health communication topics and to educate like-minded individuals on her own research.
Kapp was honored to represent TCNJ and share her research with peers and experts in the field.
“The intellectually stimulating posters, papers, and workshops showcased the work of multiple esteemed researchers and scholars in the public health/health communication realm,” she said.
For Gombas, the experience was an inspiring one that introduced her to impactful research.
“Expanding knowledge in health communication is essential to improving health systems, and this conference provided valuable exposure to innovative and influential research advancing that goal,” she said.
Natasha Patterson, associate professor and chair of the Department of Public Health, shared her enthusiasm for the students, emphasizing that interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to innovating health systems.
“This decade-spanning tradition of scholarly excellence not only elevates our students’ professional trajectories but also highlights TCNJ’s role in shaping the future of health communication,” she said.
Yachao “Bruce” Li, associate professor and chair of the Department of Communication, Journalism, and Film, was equally impressed with the students’ work at the conference.
“It is exciting to learn that our health communication students and faculty can serve as vibrant exemplars for those at other colleges and universities,” he said.
Student participation was made possible in part by a scholarship fund established by Charles and Barbaranne ’68 DiMarco in memory of their son, Garrett DiMarco ’10. The fund provides financial assistance to sophomores, juniors, and seniors majoring in communication studies who are presenting research at academic conferences.
— John Pollock