Sung-Yeon Park

Sung-Yeon Park

Professor

Summary

As a health communication researcher and practitioner, Park is dedicated to exploring how communication can improve the well-being of individuals and society. Her recent work focused on the relationships among consumers, physicians, and healthcare marketers by examining the content of direct-to-consumer healthcare service advertisements and exploring the three groups’ attitudes toward the ads and healthcare consumerism. Her goal is to inform the public, healthcare providers and marketers about the ethical practices of healthcare advertising and cultivate trust among them.

She also researches how communication messages and tools can effectively educate the public, promote personal health, and encourage constructive public discourse on key health issues and policies. Currently, she is investigating the impact of patient portal use on patient-provider relationships and patient outcomes. Her research has been supported by federal agencies and private foundations and earned her multiple awards. 

Selected work

  • Park, S., Yun, G., Cook, D., & Coppes, M. J. (in press). Attitudes toward direct-to-consumer healthcare service advertising and perceptions of information features: Comparison of physicians and marketers. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPHM-12-2024-0142
  • Park, S., Cook, D., Yun, G., & Coppes, M. J. (2025). Are patient-centered care, healthcare consumerism, and trust in physicians compatible?: Positioning analysis of the patient-provider relationship. Health Communication, 40(8), 1524–1534. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2408065
  • Park, S., Joa, C. Y., Yun, G., & Constantino, N. (2024). Marijuana message channels, health knowledge, law knowledge, and confidence in knowledge as risk and protective factors of marijuana use among college students. Journal of Drug Education, 53(1-2), 19-30.
  • Park, S., Yun, G., Cook, D., & Coppes, M. J. (2023). Consumer perceptions of information features in healthcare service advertisements and attitudes toward advertising. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, 17(2), 209-228.
  • Park, S., Hill, K., Yun, G., Friedman, S., & Coppes, M. J. (2023). Analysis of direct-to-consumer healthcare service advertisements on television: An application of the patient expectation framework. Health Communication, 38(10), 2067-2079.
  • Park, S., Yun, G., Friedman, S., Hill, K., & Coppes, M. J. (2022). Patient-centered care and healthcare consumerism in online healthcare service advertisements: A positioning analysis. Journal of Patient Experience, 9. https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735221133636
  • Park, S., Yun, G., Constantino, N., & Ryu, S. (2022). Gender differences in the risk and protective factors of marijuana use among US college students. Journal of Health Psychology, 27(7), 1710-1722.
  • Park, S., Ryu, S., Constantino, N., Yun, G., Jennings, E., & Fred, D. (2022). Marijuana knowledge, confidence in knowledge, and information efficacy as the protective and risk factors of marijuana use among college students. Journal of American College Health, 70(2), 363-370.
  • Park, S., Harrington, N. G., Crosswell, L. H., & Parvanta, C. (2021). Competencies for health communication specialists: Survey of health communication educators and practitioners. Journal of Health Communication, 26(6), 413-433.
  • Park, S., Yun, G., Friedman, S., Hill, K., Ryu, S., Schwenk, T., & Coppes, M. J. (2021). US direct-to-consumer medical service advertisements fail to provide adequate information on quality and cost of care. Journal of Medical Ethics, 47, e52.

Selected service

  • United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, Farmers Market Promotion Program. “Meet Me at #NVFarmersMarkets: Community-based integrated marketing training and campaign for Nevada farmers markets.” Federal Award Identification Number: AM22FMPPNV1089, 9/30/2022 – 12/28/2025
  • United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Cooperative Agreement to Implement WIC Breastfeeding Support Campaign. Federal Award Identification Number: WIC-BFC-2019-NV, Co-PI (PI: E. Christensen), Completed.
  • National Science Foundation, PD 11-8031 Science of Organizations Program, “Positioning of Health Care Service: Examination of health care advertisements and stakeholder perceptions,” Award #1759113, PI, Completed.
  • United States Department of State Public Diplomacy Programs. US Consulate General Public Affairs Section in Mumbai. Stopping the Spread of Disinformation – Training Emerging Journalists. Federal Award Identification Number: SIN65020GR0077, Co-PI (PI: P. Pain), Completed.
  • Google Faculty Research Award, “Google Maps as Community Capital: Barriers to the participation of minority entities,” Co-PI (PI: G. Yun), Completed.

Professional affiliations

  • Society for Health Communication
  • National Communication Association

Education

  • Ph.D. in Life Sciences Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • B.A. in Korean Language & Literature, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea