Zhaomeng Niu, Ph.D.
Dr. Niu is interested in exploring the mechanisms behind health intervention design, implementation, and evaluation. More broadly, her work focuses on the use of emerging media technologies to design and deliver accurate and persuasive health information and interventions that will promote behavior change in a targeted population, especially the underserved and understudies populations.
Keywords: health disparities, cancer prevention and control, digital health, behavioral change, health communication, media technologies, mHealth and eHealth intervention
Jemima Baskar
Research Assistant
Email: jb1408@shp.rutgers.edu
Emily Peters
Research Coordinator
Email: petersen@shp.rutgers.edu
Grant Funding
Title: Developing and Testing a Mobile Health Intervention to Promote Sun Protection Behaviors and Skin Examination Among Hispanics
Role: Principal Investigator
Sponsor Agency: NIH-NIMHD
Brief Overview of Aims: This research project seeks to develop a mobile-based and user-centered intervention to promote sun protection and skin self-examination among a diverse sample of Hispanics using an iterative approach to capture relevant contextual issues and evaluate the preliminary effects of the intervention.
Total Dollar Amount: Year 1-$116,625; Year 2-119,416; Year 3/4/5-up to $249,000 per year
Funding Period: 2022-2027
Title: Understanding Sun Protection and Skin Examination Practices Among Hispanics
Role: Principal Investigator
Sponsor Agency: New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research
Brief Overview of Aims: The goal of this project is to use a mixed method (including both qualitative and quantitative methods) design to identify potential factors and correlates associated with skin cancer prevention practice among Hispanics and to explore whether Hispanic individuals will be interested in a mobile-based and user-centered skin cancer intervention.
Total Dollar Amount: $50,000
Funding Period: 2021-2023
Title: Optimal Educational Methods to Teach Early Detection Skills for Melanoma During Skin Self-examination
Role: Principal Investigator
Sponsor Agency: New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research
Brief Overview of Aims: The goal of this project is to test the effects of different educational skin self-examination methods including different numbers of photos, different presenting types of the materials, and other manipulation of educational materials that aim to train at-risk individuals to learn skin self-examination more effectively and identify suspicious skin lesions accurately.
Total Dollar Amount: $100,000
Funding Period: 2019-2021
Professional Achievements
| Year | Name of Honor |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Top Student Award from Association for Chinese Communication Studies Division, National Communication Association |
| 2017 | Top Student Paper Award (3rd place) from Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication |
| 2016 | Top-four Graduate Student Interest Group Paper from Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication |
Selected Publications
Niu, Z., & Heckman, C. J. (2024). Associations of Social Factors and Self-Efficacy with Skin-Self Examination Intentions Among Hispanics at Risk for Skin Cancer and Their Preferences for Digital Interventions. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.
Niu, Z., & Heckman, C. J. (2022). Digital Educational Strategies to Teach Skin Self-examination to Individuals at Risk for Skin Cancer. Journal of Health Communication, 27(11-12), 790-800.
Niu, Z., Willoughby, J. F., Coups, E. J., & Stapleton, J. L. (2021). Effects of Website Interactivity on Skin Cancer–Related Intentions and User Experience: Factorial Randomized Experiment. Journal of medical Internet research, 23(1), e18299. PMID: 33439131 PMCID: PMC7840277 DOI: 10.2196/18299
Niu, Z., Jeong, D. C., & Willoughby, J. F. (2021). Friends over doctors? The influences of source and perceived customization on College drinking. Health communication, 36(6), 671-681. PMID: 31920113 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2020.1712034
Niu, Z., Jeong, D. C., Brickman, J., Nam, Y., Liu, S., & Stapleton, J. L. (2020). A Picture Worth a Thousand Texts? Investigating the Influences of Visual Appeals in a Text Message-Based Health Intervention. Journal of Health Communication, 25(3), 204-213. PMID: 32096455 DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2020.1731631
If you are a student interested in becoming mentored by Dr. Niu, gaining research skills, or becoming more involved in research projects, please contact Dr. Niu by emailing at zhaomeng.niu@rutgers.edu.
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