Graduate Studies
Featured Graduate Students
Featured Summer 2009
Donna Z. Davis
Donna, a 20-year veteran in the communications field, is a third-year Ph.D. student, and is also the host and senior producer of the award-winning Family Album Radio – a daily radio module based on current family social science research. She has co-hosted a weekly, financial call-in radio program, she’s been the voice of many WUFT-TV fund drives and is that mysterious female voice on many interactive Microsoft tutorials. She holds an undergraduate degree in journalism and an MS in Family, Youth and Community Sciences.
Donna’s research focuses on digital social capital in virtual worlds. She has presented her work at various domestic and international conferences.
Linda Hallam
Linda is a second-year Ph.D. student, and has served as an editor for Better Homes & Gardens, Decorating and Design, Traditional Home, and Southern Living magazines. She is the author and editor of 21 books, and currently writes freelance articles for the Gainesville Sun, Gainesville Magazine and several other publications. Linda holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s in public administration. Currently she is pursuing the public health certificate program along with her doctoral studies.
Linda’s research focuses on health communication and she is currently studying the visual, content and advertising health and fitness messages women receive from mainstream general interest, health and fitness magazines.
Sun-Young Park
Sun-Young is a second-year doctoral student with an emphasis in advertising. She has served as an account executive in South Korea working with such clients as Hyundai, Kia Motors and LG Electronics.
Sun-Young’s research focuses on health communications. She has presented a number of papers at AEJMC and AAA, and has won the best student paper award at the 2009 AMHCR (Association for Marketing and Health Care Research) conference for her paper, “Got vaccine? A framing analysis of the newspaper coverage of the measles outbreak.”
Paula Rausch
Paula, a former public relations professional and award-winning journalist, is a doctoral candidate focusing on health communication who also obtained a Certificate in Public Health. She has been involved extensively in research, including on NIH- and Veterans Affairs-funded projects, and her work has resulted in publications, presentations and three awards. Her research focuses on exploring the influence that medical information in the media, especially e-media, has on health consumers.
Paula has taught courses in public relations, nontraditional media, journalism and mass communication. She also has participated in international pursuits, including as a program assistant for the College’s Study Abroad program, and with communication projects in Ethiopia and Nicaragua.
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