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Susan E. Morgan

Bio

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Dr. Susan E. Morgan (BA, University of Massachusetts, 1990; MA, University of Arizona, 1993; Ph.D., University of Arizona, 1997) holds an appointment as Full Professor in the Communication Studies department at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, USA. Until 2017, she served as Associate Dean for Research for the School of Communication as well as the Director for the Center for Communication, Culture, and Change. She served as Associate Provost for Research from 2017 to 2020 for the University of Miami; as part of her work, she co-directed an innovative and highly successful interdisciplinary research funding program called U-LINK. 

Dr. Morgan’s research interests involve the design and evaluation of persuasive messages targeting health behavior change in multicultural populations. Her research has been supported by over $12 million in grant funding from state and national sources, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Morgan's current research uses qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to investigate message design features that increase the effectiveness of health-promotive campaigns.  Her current area of primary interest is in cancer communication, particularly the development of multilevel interventions designed to improve clinical trial accrual. These include the development of patient resources (like interactive information aids and animations about key concepts related to clinical trial participation) and training programs for clinical research coordinators. She also leads an interdisciplinary research team that is investigating the "science of team science", particularly best practices for team communication processes, team training and education for more effective collaborations, and the development of team trust. Much of her previous research involved developing and evaluating multimedia campaigns to promote organ donation in worksite and community settings. Additionally, Dr. Morgan has conducted  large-scale studies of how the mass media frames organ donation and the effects of that framing on public attitudes and behaviors toward donor registration.  

Dr. Morgan serves on the editorial boards of four journals and is an active reviewer for 15 journals. She has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in the area of health communication. Her research has appeared in medical and leading social science journals including Clinical Transplantation, Communication Monographs, Journal of Communication, Communication Theory, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Health Psychology, and the Journal of the National Medical Association. She is also the author of a book, From Numbers to Words: Reporting Statistical Results for the Social Sciences. In 2015, she received the Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Communication Association's Health Communication division.

On a personal note, Dr. Morgan was born and raised in rural Pennsylvania, outside of Reading, PA, where her parents, brother, and nieces still reside.  Her family roots are in southeastern Hungary and the coal regions of Pennsylvania. She has lived in a number of other states, including Maryland, Massachusetts, California, Arizona, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Indiana, and has been fortunate to be able to travel to many parts of the world for both work and fun.  

You can reach Dr. Morgan by emailing: semorgan (at) miami (dot) edu.
​Vita: morgan_vita_november_2020.docx

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