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.
Professional affiliations
- Senior Researcher, Pennington Cancer Institute, Renown Health
- Clinical Research Coordinator, Veterans Administration Sierra Nevada Health Care system
- Member, National Communication Association
Selected publications
- González, A., Lee, E. Y., Park, S. & Park, S. (2023). The health equity discourse of immigrant public health leaders: A critical application of the IDEA model. Communication Studies, 74(1), 13-28.
- Jeon, H., Granner, M., Christiansen, E., Kohnen, T., Park, S., Sarnquist, B., MacNeil, P., Soto, V. & Deavers, T. (2025). Association between breastfeeding peer support and confidence in breastfeeding. Journal of Human Lactation, 41(1), 132-144.
- Joa*, C. Y. & Park, S. (2021). Entrepreneurial doctors and consumerist patients: #Plasticsurgery on Instagram. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, 15(4), 477-495.
- Kim*, K., Park, S. & Kang, H. (2021). Smart device proficiency and use, loneliness and ego integrity: An examination of older adult smartphone users in South Korea. Behaviour & Information Technology, 40(7), 625-634.
- Park, S., Christiansen, E., Yun, G., Malik, S., Lindsay, A., Aldea, B., Purnell, S., Miller, A., Villasenor, R., Andrews, A. & Felts, T. (2024). Nevada farmers market needs assessment. Extension, University of Nevada, Reno.
- 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.
- 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., 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., 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., Purnell, S., Yun, G., Kim, N. & Ryu, S. (in press). Consumer attitudes toward farmers’ markets: An application of the stages of change model. Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing.
- Park, S., Ryu, S., Constantino, N., Yun, G., Jennings, E. & Fred, D. (2022). Marijuana knowledge, confidence in knowledge and information efficacy as protective and risk factors of marijuana use among college students. Journal of American College Health, 70(2), 363-370.
- Park, S., Yun, G., Constantino, N. & Ryu, S. (2022). Gender differences in the risk and protective factors of marijuana use among U.S. college students. Journal of Health Psychology, 27(7), 1710-1722.
- 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., 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.
- Park, S., Yun, G., Cook, D. & Coppes, M. J. (in press). Is exposure to direct-to-consumer healthcare service advertising linked to trust in the medical profession? An exploratory study. Business and Professional Ethics Journal.
- 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, 1-8.
- Park, S., Yun, G., Friedman, S., Hill*, K., Ryu, S., Schwenk, T. & Coppes, M. J. (2021). U.S. direct-to-consumer medical service advertisements fail to provide adequate information on quality and cost of care. Journal of Medical Ethics, 47, e52.
- Southwell, B. G., Park, S., Johnson-Turbes, A., Bishop, J. A., Chomenko, D. J. & Grela, M. (2025). The importance of assessing failure, unexpected results and lessons learned for advancing health communication science (Editorial). Journal of Health Communication, 30(S1), 2-4.
- Yun, G. & Park, S. (in press). Minority owned, claimed status and profile attributes of businesses on Google Maps: COVID-19 pandemic survival. Social Science Computer Review.
*Undergraduate/graduate student co-authors at the time of conducting the study
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