Sherri Jean Katz

[email protected]

612-625-1338

Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication

111 Murphy Hall

206 Church St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Collegiate Affiliation

Associate Professor,

Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication

My program of research broadly pertains to the study of health communication, regulatory science and youth. I have centered recent research around developing and testing health communication strategies to prevent youth uptake of tobacco, nicotine and THC products. I have tested how product packaging features influence youth product perceptions and how this informs regulatory guidance. I have led two NIH grants testing how product features and packaging elements, including flavors, flavor representation, modified risk statements and nicotine source information, influences how high school and middle school youth perceive vaping products. My work also focuses on the cognitive processing factors that influence intended and unintended message effects, including an interest in construal level theory and psychological reactance theory.

Educational Background & Specialties

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Educational Background

Ph.D.: Communication, Cornell University, 2015
M.S.: Communication, Cornell University, 2013
M.A.: Culture and Communication, New York University, 2004
B.A. : Public Relations (Honors) and Political Science, Minor: Marketing, Syracuse University (Newhouse)
Certificate: Digital Media Marketing, New York University, 2010 -
Certificate: Advanced Event Management, New York University, 2004 -

Specialties

Health Communication
Youth and cognitive processing
Preventing youth uptake of tobacco, nicotine, and THC products
Construal Level Theory
Psychological Reactance Theory

Publications

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Publications

Katz, S.J., Petersen, A., Cohen, E., Hatsukami, D. (2023). Tobacco Free Nicotine Vaping Products: A Study of Health Halo Effects Among Middle School Youth. Journal of Health Communication, 28, 391-400.
Katz, S. J., Cohen, E., Hatsukami, D. (2023). Testing the Influence of Harm Reduction Messages on Adult Smokers’ Health Risk Attitudes, Injunctive Norms and Perceived Behavioral Control,. Harm Reduction Journal, 20.
Katz, S.J., Petersen, A., Liu, H., Cohen, E., Hatsukami, D. (2022). Vaping Flavors and Flavor Representation: A Test of Youth Risk Perceptions, Novelty Perceptions, and Susceptibility. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 25, 590-595.
Differding, M., Katz, S.J., Strayer, L.G., White, C., Strasser, A.A., Donny, E.C., Hatsukami, D.K., Carroll, D.M. (2022). Educating the Public on the Health Risks of Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes: Results From a US-Based Convenience Sample. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 24, 871-880.
Katz, S. J. (chapter author); Ho, E., Bylund, C., & Van Weert, J. (Eds.) (2022). Construal Level Theory. The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication.
Katz, S. J., Cohen, E., Kinzer, H. (2022). Can I hit that? Vaping knowledge, attitudes and practices of college students. Journal of American College Health, 70, 1778-1787.
Katz, S. J., Shi, W., Erkinnen, M., Lindgren, B., & Hatsukami, D. (2020). High school youth and e-cigarettes: The influence of modified risk statements and flavors on e-cigarette packaging. American Journal of Health Behavior, 44, 130-145.
Katz, S. J., Byrne, S., Mathios, A. D., Avery, R. J., Dorf, M. C., Safi, A. G., & Niederdeppe, J. (2020). Testing the effects of certain versus hypothetical language in health risk messages. Communication Monographs, 87, 47-69.
Katz, S. J. & Byrne, S. (2019). Cognitive Bridging: Using strategic communication to connect abstract goals with the means to achieve them. Health Communication, 34, 484-499.
Katz, S. J., Erkinnen, M.*, Lindgren, B., & Hatsukami, D. (2019). Beliefs About e-cigarettes: A focus group study with college students. American Journal of Health Behavior, 43, 76-87.
Katz, S. J., Erkinnen, M.*, Lindgren, B., & Hatsukami, D. (2018). Assessing the impact of conflicting health warning information on intentions to use e-cigarettes - An application of the heuristic-systematic model.. Journal of Health Communication, 23, 874-885.
Katz, S. J.; Byrne, S.; Kent, A. I. (Forthcoming 2017) Mitigating the Perception of Threat to Freedom through Abstraction and Distance. Communication Research.
Katz, S. J., Lindgren, B. Hatsukami, D. (2017) E-cigarettes Warning Labels and Modified Risk Statements: Tests of Messages to Reduce Recreational Use. Tobacco Regulatory Science, 3, 445-458.
Katz, S. J., Lee, T., & Byrne, S. (2015). Predicting Parent-Child Differences in Perceptions of How Children Use the Internet for Help with Homework, Identity Development, and Health Information. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 59, 574 - 602.
Byrne, S., Katz, S. J., Mathios, A., & Niederdeppe, J. (2014). Do the ends justify the means? A test of alternatives to the FDA proposed cigarette warning labels. Health Communication, 30, 680-693. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2014.895282.
Katz, S. J. & Byrne, S. (2013). Construal Level Theory of Mobile Persuasion. Media Psychology, 16, 245-271. doi: 10.1080/15213269.2013.798853.
Byrne, S., Katz, S. J., Lee, T., Linz, D., & McIrath, M. (2013) Peers, Predators, and Porn: Predicting Parental Underestimation of their Children’s Risky Online Experiences. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19, 215 -231. DOI: 10.1111/jcc4.12040
Baumer, E.P.S., Katz, S.J., Freeman, J.E., Adams, P., Gonzales, A.L., Pollak, JP, Retelny, D., Niederdeppe, J., Olson, C., and Gay, G. (2012). Prescriptive Persuasion and Open-Ended Social Awareness: Expanding the Design Space of Mobile Health in Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). (Seattle, WA).

Activities

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Activities

Research

Co-Investigator - Neilsen Foundation Grant: Investigator Status: co-Investigator; Funding Source: Neilsen Foundation; Project Title: Communication of the International Spinal Cord Injury Exercise Guidelines; Project Dates: April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2025; Direct Costs: $400,000, funded.
Principal Investigator - CLA Seed Grant for Data Collection Initiative: Project Title: Opioid Warning Labels: A Strategy to Prevent Addiction and Overdose; Project Dates: May 2022 – March 2025; Direct Costs: $9,750, funded.
Principal Investigator - NIH R21 Grant: Investigator Status: Principal Investigator; External Agency: NIH/NCI R21CA246602-01; Project Title: E-Cigarettes and Youth: Tests of Strategies to Prevent Recreational Use; Project Dates: September 16, 2019 – August 31, 2022; Direct Costs: $275,000, funded .
Co-Investigator: Grant from UMN Center for Evaluation of Nicotine in Cigarettes Pilot Projects Program: Project Title: Low Nicotine Contact Cigarettes and Product Labeling: Impact on Smokers’ Perceptions and Behaviors; Project Dates: February 1, 2020 – February 1, 2021; Direct Costs: $30,000, funded.
Principal Investigator - NIH Grant R03: Investigator Status: Principal Investigator; External Agency: NIH/NIDA R03-DA043022; Project Title: E-cigarette Warning Labels: Tests of Messages to Reduce Recreational Use Among Adolescents; Project Dates: April 1, 2017 – September 30, 2019; Direct Costs: $150,000, funded. April 2017 - March 2019
Principal Investigator - Grant in Aid of Research, Artistry and Scholarship: Project Title: E-cigarette Warning Labels: Tests of Messages to Reduce Recreational Use; Project Dates: January 2017 – June 2018; Direct Costs: $21,979, funded.
Prinicipal Investigator - CLA Seed Grants for Data Collection Initiative: Project Title: Attention to Novelty Flavors: Influence on the Response to E-cigarette Warning Labels; Project Dates: May 2017 – August 2018; Direct Costs: $6,825, funded.

Outreach

UMN Tobacco Research Programs Seminar Series: Presented the following talks at the UMN Tobacco Research Programs Seminar Series: Vaping and Middle School Youth: Understanding Flavor Perceptions, April 10, 2024; Attention to E-cigarette Visual Cues and Perceptions of Novelty and Risk, February 12, 2019.; E-Cigarette Warning Labels and Youth: Findings From a Study of Twin Cities Area High School Students, January 9, 2018; E-Cigarette Warning Labels: Tests of Messages to Reduce Recreational Use Among Adolescents, June 14, 2016. .
Meeting with the Minnesota Department of Health: Meeting with the Minnesota Department of Health, Researchers, and Community Leaders as part of the JUUL Settlement Community Input Process, February 9, 2024. .
National Outreach - meeting with U.S. Congresswoman, Vaping Experts Meeting: Meeting with U.S. Representative Angie Craig; Vaping Experts Meeting, presented “Vaping and Youth: Message Strategies and New Challenges,” October 10, 2019, Shakopee High School.
The Vaping Epidemic: Presented "The Vaping Epidemic," , a public talk for District 197 parents, teens, professionals and educators, October 3, 2019.
National Outreach - Meeting with Aides to U.S. Congresswoman: Meeting with Morris Allen and Mike Siebenaler, aides to U.S. Representative Angie Craig to discuss youth and vaping (invited), September 18, 2019. The next day, Representative Craig announced a bi-partisan coalition to address vaping and youth..
Vaping and Teens: Presented "Vaping and Teens" to District 196 Middle School and High School Principals, June 25, 2019. .
Invited Talk: Persuasion and Risk Communication: Techniques to Communicate Lifesaving Information: 2017 Great Lakes Water Safety Conference: Bridging the Gaps as part of discussions with the SeaGrant Program at University of Minnesota. April 2017 -
Invited Talk: E-cigarette Warning Labels and Youth: COMET: Consortium on Models Evaluating Tobacco, Nicolett Island Inn. April 2017

Awards

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Courses

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