Dr. Platter’s research focuses on the intersections of health and risk communication, health literacy, and affective factors that promote engagement in health-related behaviors, with a focus on risk perception, health misinformation, and health decision-making using a health equity lens. She is dedicated to developing clear health and risk communication messaging that aids health decision-making among populations experiencing health disparities. Her research examines how low health literacy and numeracy contribute to disparities in healthcare access and outcomes, ways to mitigate defensive processing of health communications due to misinformation and risk perception biases, and the influence of health beliefs, affective factors, and social processes (such as self-affirmation) on responses to risk communications across different behavioral domains.
Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences
Division of Prevention, Equity, & Population Health
Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program
Cancer Prevention Postdoctoral Fellow, Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program
Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 2019-2024
PhD, University of Maryland, Behavioral and Community Health, School of Public Health, 2015-2019
MS, University of Florida, Family Youth and Community Sciences / Social and Behavioral Public Health, 2010-2012
BS, University of Florida, Family Youth and Community Sciences, 2006-2010
P.O. Box 800717, Charlottesville, VA 22908
Email: hnplatter@virginia.edu
Twitter: @DrPlatter
Expertise:
Health Literacy, Health & Risk Communication, Cancer Prevention, Mixed Methods & Qualitative Research
Research Interests:
Addressing health literacy to reduce health disparities and improve health equity; health and risk communication to address health behaviors within cancer prevention and control; mixed methods assessments of risk perceptions for health behaviors; tobacco control and prevention; global health.
Recent Publications:
- Platter, H., Ezeani, A., Hyams, T., Huang, G., Vanderpool, R. & Klein, W.M.P. (2024). Cancer screening information-seeking before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preventive Oncology & Epidemiology, 46(1):100766. https://doi.org/10.1080/28322134.2024.2369168
- Williams, C., Platter, H., Vanderpool, R., de Moor, J., & Davidoff, A. (2023). “It’s just not easy to understand”: Health insurance literacy and insurance plan decision-making in cancer survivors.” Cancer Medicine, 2(14):15424-15434. https://doi: 10.1002/cam4.6133.
- Iles, I.A., Gillman, A.S., Platter, H., Ferrer, R.A. & Klein, W.M.P. (2021). Investigating the Potential of Inoculation Messages and Self-Affirmation in Reducing the Effects of Health Science Misinformation. Science Communication, 43(6), 768-804. https://doi.org/10.1177/10755470211048480
- Seidenberg, A.B., Wiseman, K.P., Eck, R.H., Blake, K.D., Platter, H. & Klein, W.M.P. (2021). Alcohol consumption, awareness of alcohol as a carcinogen, and support for alcohol control policies. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 62(2):174-182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2021.07.005
- Platter, H., Kaplow, K. & Baur, C. (2021). The Value of Community Health Literacy Assessments: A Study on the State of Health Literacy in Maryland. Public Health Reports. 137(3):471-478. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549211002767
- Platter, H., Kaplow, K. & Baur, C. (2019). Community Health Literacy Assessment: A Systematic Framework to Assess Gaps, Assets, and Opportunities for Health Literacy Improvement. Health Literacy Research and Practice, 3(4), e216-e226.1 https://doi.org/10.3928/24748307-20190821-0
- Platter, H. & Pokorny, S. (2017). Smoke-Free Signage in Public Parks: Impacts on Smoking Behaviour. Tobacco Control, 27(4), 470-473. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053624