Nicole O’Donnell

Research Interests
Media psychology
Communicating science, health, environment, and risk
Visual communication
Social media
Role models and social influence

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Nicole O’Donnell, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. She specializes in media psychology and health promotion. Her primary research focuses on effective message design for health and environmental campaigns, with an interest in understanding how audiences engage with educational, inspiring, and entertaining campaign messages.

O’Donnell has a strong passion for community-engaged scholarship. She frequently collaborates with nonprofit organizations and government agencies to conduct research that informs campaign design and evaluation. Recent partners include the Hume Lee Transplant Center, the WA Traffic Safety Commision, the Inland Northwest Healthy Youth Collaborative, and Room One. She prioritizes sharing her research outside of academia to inform policy and improve public health and safety.

O’Donnell is affiliated with the Murrow Center for Media and Health Promotion, the Media Mind Lab, and Washington State Health Care Authority’s Prevention Research Sub-Committee. Her research has been published in Health Communication, Journal of Health Communication, Journal of Risk Research, Visual Communication Quarterly, among others. More information about her work can be found at www.nicoleodonnell.com.