Yan Huang - University of Houston
Skip to main content

Jack J. Valenti School of Communication
yan-huang-f19-headshot2.png

Yan Huang

Assistant Professor
Communication Bldg
yhuang63@central.uh.edu

Yan Huang is an assistant professor of integrated strategic communication in the Jack. J. Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston. Her research is at the intersection of strategic communication, persuasion, and media psychology. It investigates how content features and technological aspects of media campaigns shape audience responses to health, risk, and prosocial messages. Her work has appeared in such journals as Computers in Human Behavior, Health Communication, Information, Communication & Society, International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Communication, Journal of Health Communication, Journal of Public Relations Research, Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, Public Relations Review, Public Understanding of Science, and Science Communication, among others. She received an Emerging Scholar Award from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) in 2021 and a Faculty Research Award from the AEJMC Mass Communication & Society Division in 2022. She was also selected as a Page & Johnson Legacy Scholar by the Arthur W. Page Center in 2019. Her research has been recognized with top paper awards by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), the International Communication Association (ICA), and the International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC). She is currently serving on the editorial boards of Health Communication and the International Journal of Advertising.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Mass Communication with minor in Statistics, Pennsylvania State University, 2017.
  • M.A. in Mass Communication, Peking University, 2011.
  • B.A. in Chinese Literature, Peking University, 2009.

Academic Experience

  • Assistant Professor, Temerlin Advertising Institute, Southern Methodist University, 2017-2019.
  • Instructor of Record, Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University, 2015-2017.
  • Graduate Assistant, Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University, 2013-2015.

Awards and Honors

  • Sam Taylor Fellowship, United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, 2018.
  • Sam Taylor Fellowship, United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, 2017.
  • The 2nd Place Top Paper Award, Public Relations Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 2016. (Second author)
  • The 1st Place Top Paper Award, Health Communication Division, International Communication Association, 2016. (Lead author)
  • The Brigham Young University Top Ethics Paper Award, International Public Relations Research Conference, 2016. (Second author) 
  • The 2nd Place Top Student Paper Award, Communication Technology Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 2013. (Lead author)
  • Deans’ Award for Top Graduate Exhibition Research Presentation, College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University, March, 2013. (Lead author)
  • Shenzhen Government Fellowship, Peking University, 2009-2011.
  • Academic Excellence Award, Peking University, 2009-2010.
  • Wusi Scholarship, Peking University, June, 2008.
  • Founder Scholarship, Peking University, June, 2007.
  • Freshman Scholarship, Peking University, June, 2006

Research

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
  • Ellithorpe, M., Huang, Y., & Oliver, M. B. (2019). Reach across the aisle: Elevation from political messages predicts increased positivity toward politics, political participation, and the opposite political party. Journal of Communication, 69(3), 249-272. doi:10.1093/joc/jqz011
  • Huang, Y., Bortree, D. S., Yang, F., Wang, R. (2019). Encouraging volunteering in nonprofit organizations: The role of organizational inclusion and volunteer need satisfaction. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing. Published online. doi:10.1080/10495142.2019.1589624
  • Huang, Y. & Waddell, T. F. (2019). The impact of ad customization and narrative transportation on the effectiveness of online video advertising. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising. Published online. doi:10.1080/10641734.2019.1626304
  • Wang, R., & Huang, Y. (2018). Communicating corporate social responsibility (CSR) on social media: How do message source and types of CSR messages influence stakeholders’ perceptions? Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 23(3), 326-341. doi:10.1108/CCIJ-07-2017-0067
  • Dillard, J. P., Li, R., & Huang, Y. (2017). Threat appeals: The fear-persuasion relationship is linear and curvilinear. Health Communication, 32(11), 1358-1367. doi:10.1080/10410236.2016.1220345
  • Wang, R., & Huang, Y. (2017). Going native on social media: The effects of social media characteristics on native ad effectiveness. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 17(1), 41-50. doi: 10.1080/15252019.2017.1326327
  • Huang, Y., & Shen, F. (2016). Effects of cultural tailoring on persuasion in cancer communication: A meta-analysis. Journal of Communication. 66(4), 694-715. doi:10.1111/jcom.12243
  • Wu, M., Huang, Y., Li, R., Bortree, D. S., Yang, F., Xiao, A., & Wang, R. (2016). A tale of two sources in native advertising: Examining the effects of source credibility and priming on content, organizations, and media evaluations. American Behavioral Scientist, 60(12), 1492-1509. doi:10.1177/0002764216660139
Peer Reviewed Book Chapters
  • Oliver, M. B., Ferchaud, A., Yang, C., Huang, Y., & Bailey, E. (2017). Absorption and meaningfulness: Examining the relationship between eudaimonic media use and engagement. In F. Hakemulder, M. Kuijpers, E. Tan, M. Doicaru, and K. Balint (Eds), Narrative absorption (pp. 253-270). Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing.
  • Sundar, S. S., Jia, H., Waddell, T. F., & Huang, Y. (2015). Toward a theory of interactive media effects (TIME): Four models for explaining how interface features affect user psychology. In S. S. Sundar (Ed.), The handbook of the psychology of communication technology (pp. 47-86). Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Book Review
  • Huang, Y. (2015). Book Review: A social strategy: How we profit from social media. By Mikołaj Jan Piskorski. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 92(4), 1043-1045, doi: 10.1177/1077699015610327dd
(Click to read full CV)