About Me
I graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor's degree in psychology in 2002. I earned my Masters in Health Science from Johns Hopkins, Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2006 with an emphasis on international public health and human nutrition. I then worked for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health conducting research on maternal and child health. In 2011, I completed and defended my doctoral dissertation at the University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. I am currently an Assistant Professor in Portland State Univeristy's Department of Communication.
In my research, I study health, organizational, and mass communication. I am particularly interested in how public health organizations produce and disseminate their messages and what the potential impacts of such messages are. I enjoy using a combination of methods in my research, with a particular emphasis on advanced statistical techniques. For my dissertation, I used social network analysis and hierarchical linear modeling to examine the role of social norms about health in work groups. Specifically, I studied attitudes and beliefs surrounding H1N1 influenza. I am currently working with colleagues at USC on two grants examining the communication environment surrounding cervical cancer. In the first grant, we are examining the differential impact of using a narrative vs. a more traditional didactic format to present cancer information. In the second grant, we are examining the multi-level influences on cancer screening and prevention behaviors among Latinas.
The pages on this site include more information about my research and teaching interests, as well as a copy of my CV. Thanks for stopping by. Please email me (lfrank [at] pdx [dot] edu) if you have any questions.