JUSTIN F. WILLETT is a doctoral candidate with a focus on narrative persuasion in health communication. His expected graduation date is May 2025. Willett has a Master of Health Administration degree from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the Missouri School of Journalism. He serves as a research mentor with the Gregory Scholars Program and is a staff member of the Novak Leadership Institute. Willett teaches courses including JOURN 4242/7242 Strategic Communication Leadership and has certifications in Online Teaching, Inclusive Teaching, and Writing Intensive (WI) courses. He also serves as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Health Sciences, where he teaches HLTH_ADM 8470 Strategic Planning and Marketing for Health Care Organizations.

Before starting his doctoral program, Willett served as communication manager at MU Health Care and the School of Medicine from 2018-2021. He helped lead MU Health Care’s COVID-19 communication efforts, including promotion of the health system’s COVID-19 vaccine program. Under Willett’s leadership, the health system’s evidence-based COVID-19 vaccine content garnered millions of pageviews and boosted total pageviews of muhealth.org owned content by nearly 1200% in 2021 (13 times higher than 2020). Willett’s professional experience includes journalism, content marketing, brand storytelling, website design and strategy, and social media strategy and planning.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Willett, J. F., LaGree, D., Warner, B. R., Houston, J. B., & Duffy, M. (2024). Flourishing with flexibility: Leader communicative support of flexible work arrangements (FWA) enhances employee engagement and well-being. International Journal of Business Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884241291531

Willett, J. F., Rodgers S., Stemmle, J. (2024). Seeking the public health angle in Missouri newspaper coverage of the opioid crisis. Newspaper Research Journal, 45(3), 311-331. https://doi.org/10.1177/07395329241255158

Zhang, W., Tsou, T. H., Rodgers, S., & Willett, J. F. (2024). Comparing Personalization Strategies in Social Network Advertising: The Role of Impression Motivation in Persuasion Outcomes. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 24(3), 247–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2024.2337057

Willett, J. F., LaGree, D., Houston, J. B., Shin, H., & Duffy, M. (2023). The role of leader communication in fostering respectful workplace culture and increasing employee engagement and well-being. International Journal of Business Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884231195614

Refereed Conference Papers

Willett, J. F. (2024, August 8-11). The role of patient stories in health care brand storytelling [Poster session]. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication 2024 Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

Willett, J. F., LaGree, D., Warner, B. R., Houston, J. B., & Duffy, M. (2024, June 20-24). Flourishing with flexibility: Leader communicative support of flexible work arrangements (FWA) enhances employee engagement and well-being [Paper presentation]. International Communication Association 2024 Conference, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Willett, J. F., Rodgers S., Stemmle, J. (2023, August 7-10). Seeking the public health angle in Missouri newspaper coverage of the opioid crisis [Poster session]. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication 2023 Conference, Washington, D.C., United States.

Willett, J. F., LaGree, D., Houston, J. B., Shin, H., & Duffy, M. (2023, May 25-29). The role of leader communication in fostering respectful workplace culture and increasing employee engagement and well-being [Paper presentation]. International Communication Association 2023 Conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Curriculum Vitae

View Justin F. Willett’s curriculum vitae here