ZACHARY MASSEY’s research investigates how people process and respond to theoretically derived health and risk messages, including scientific communication related to tobacco and cannabis use, sexually transmitted diseases, and health disparities among underserved communities. This work seeks to deepen public understanding of science and inform regulatory decision-making. He received his Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Oklahoma in 2019 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. He joined the School of Journalism in August 2021.

Dr. Massey uses qualitative and quantitative methods. He has published in high-impact journals, such as the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Tobacco Control, and Human Communication Research, and collaborated on interdisciplinary projects funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles (5 most recent)

Massey, Z. B., Duong, H. T., Churchill, V., & Popova, L. (2022). Examining smokers’ reactions to smoking and COVID-19 risk messages: An experimental study. International Journal of Drug Policy, 102, 103607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103607

Alqahtani, M. M., Massey, Z. B., Fairman, R. T., Churchill, V., Ashley, D. L., & Popova, L. (2022). General and device-specific reasons for ENDS use: A qualitative study with adult ENDS users. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 6822. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116822

Wong, N. C. H., Massey, Z. B., & Barbati, J. L., Banas, J. A., & Bessarabova, E. B. (2022). Theorizing stigma reduction via parasocial contact: Extending the intergroup contact theory to entertainment media contexts. Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, 34, 89-100. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000338

Fairman, R. T., Weaver, S. R., Nyman, A. L., Popova, L., Massey, Z. B., Reynolds, R. R. & Spears, C. A. (2022). Disparities among smokers during the COVID-19 pandemic: Examination of COVID-19-related worries by sociodemographic factors in a U.S. nationally representative survey. Preventive Medicine Reports, 28, 101835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101835

Massey, Z. B., Fairman, R. T., Churchill, V., Ashley, D. L., & Popova, L. (2021). “It’s cool, modifying and all, but I don’t want anything blowing up on me:” A focus group study of motivations to modify electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 11735. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/22/11735