Murrow Center for Media and Health Promotion Research

The Edward R. Murrow Center for Media & Health Promotion Research in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University examines how individuals and health professionals use media most effectively to facilitate informed and healthy decisions. The Center facilitates multi-methodological communication science research across a full range of media platforms to examine how to improve quality of life and mitigate effects of misinformation.

Our work addresses the DHHS National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, which is based on the principles that (1) everyone has the right to health information that helps them make informed decisions and (2) health services should be delivered in ways that are understandable and beneficial to health, longevity, and quality of life.

Interdisciplinary Group of Scholars

The Murrow Center brings together a dynamic team of faculty and students from Communication, Prevention Science, Human Development, Education, medical sciences and other fields. From the success of the Murrow Center scholarship, faculty and students became recognized as national leaders and have earned top rankings from the Communication Institute for their Scholarship focusing on groundbreaking research in advertising effects, substance abuse prevention, and media literacy. As members of a top 10 communication program, excelling in research focused on media effects and children, health behaviors, media and sexuality, our faculty have secured numerous federal, state, and private grants to fuel their innovative research and contributions to the field.

Research Training Center for Students

Our graduate students thrive in a dynamic, hands-on research training environment, guided by dedicated mentors who prepare them for success in research-intensive academic or industry roles. Through regular engagement in diverse research projects, students acquire practical research skills that are highly valued in both academic and professional sectors. Many students coauthor conference papers and peer-reviewed journal articles with faculty and other students, enhancing their professional credentials and contributing to their fields.

Associated Laboratories

The Murrow Center for Media and Health Promotion Research Center provides access to the following facilities for data collection and analysis:

• The Media, Adolescents, and Cannabis (MAC) lab (multi-method)
• The Murrow Media Mind Lab, focused on Media Psychophysiology and Neuroscience (in-facility and portable)
• The Virtual Reality lab (in-facility)
• The Media Viewing Lab, which can collect measures such as moment-by-moment assessment of attitudinal responses and Implicit Attitude Tests. (in-facility)

Murrow Center for Media & Health Promotion Research
Goertzen 250
PO Box 642520
Pullman WA 99164-2520
Email: murrow.center@wsu.edu

Director

Erica Austin | eaustin@wsu.edu

Associated Members

From the Murrow College:

Paul Bolls | pbolls@wsu.edu
Porismita Borah | p.borah@wsu.edu
Rebecca Cooney | rebecca.cooney@wsu.edu
Imran Haider | imran.haider@wsu.edu
Stacey Hust | sjhust@wsu.edu
Yoon-Joo Lee | yoon.j.lee@wsu.edu
Yen-I Lee | yen-i.lee@wsu.edu
Nicole O’Donnell | nicole.odonnell@wsu.edu
Somava Pande | somava_pande@wsu.edu
Wei Peng | wei.peng@wsu.edu
Bruce Pinkleton | pink@wsu.edu
Chelsea Thomas | newman6@wsu.edu
Jessica Willoughby | jessica.willoughby@wsu.edu