Tong Lin

Dr. Tong Lin's research focuses on the science of persuasion within the fields of science, health, environment and risk communication. She uses data and visual analytics to investigate issues in health equity and policy, the role of emerging media in health literacy, tobacco control and broader challenges in contemporary public health communication.

Dr. Lin's recent work investigates the interaction effects between moralization, beliefs and ideologies, and how media and psychological factors contribute to tobacco initiation, particularly among historically marginalized and underrepresented populations.

Health Communication, Persuasion, Tobacco Use, Health Disparities

• Ph.D., Communication, University of Maryland, 2024
• M.A., Media Studies, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University, 2020
• B.S., Journalism and Mass Communication, Iowa State University, 2017

1. Chen, J., Xia, S., & Lin, T. (2024). A framework of moderators in social norm-based message persuasiveness based on a systematic review. Human Communication Research, 50(2), 285-298. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqad043

2. Lin, T., & Nan, X. (2023). A scoping review of emerging COVID-19 health communication research in communication and media journals. Health Communication, 38(12), 2570-2581, https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2091916

3. Thier, K., & Lin, T. (2022) How solutions journalism shapes support for collective climate change adaptation. Environmental Communication, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2022.2143842

4. Ma, X., Yang, Y., Lin, T., Zhang, Y., & Zheng, E. (2023). Loneliness, purpose in life, and protective behaviors: Examining cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships in older adults before and during COVID-19. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, gbad117. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbad117

5. Shi, J., Mucedola, A. S., Lin, T., & Green, K. N. (2022) Sexual misconduct in politics: How intergroup biases affect judgments of a scandalized politician and partisan ambivalence. Communication Quarterly, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2022.2133622