{"id":10103,"date":"2025-01-13T10:53:07","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T15:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/med.virginia.edu\/phs\/?p=10103"},"modified":"2025-10-13T11:41:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T15:41:31","slug":"platter-heather-n","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/med.virginia.edu\/phs\/2025\/01\/13\/platter-heather-n\/","title":{"rendered":"Platter, Heather N., PhD, MS"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Dr.Dr. Platter\u2019s research focuses on the intersections of health and risk communication, health literacy, <\/span>an<\/span>d <\/span>affective factors that promote engagement in health-related behaviors, <\/span>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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences
\nDivision of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
\nCancer Prevention and Control Research Program<\/p>\n

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Cancer Prevention Postdoctoral Fellow, Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program
\nBehavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
\nNational Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 2019-2024
\nPhD, University of Maryland, Behavioral and Community Health, School of Public Health, 2015-2019
\nMS, University of Florida, Family Youth and Community Sciences \/ Social and Behavioral Public Health, 2010-2012
\nBS, University of Florida, Family Youth and Community Sciences, 2006-2010<\/p>\n

P.O. Box 800717, Charlottesville, VA 22908
\nEmail: hnplatter@virginia.edu
\nTwitter: @DrPlatter<\/p>\n

Expertise:<\/strong>
\nHealth Literacy, Health & Risk Communication, Cancer Prevention,\u00a0 Mixed Methods & Qualitative Research<\/p>\n

Research Interests:<\/strong>
\nAddressing 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.<\/p>\n

Recent Publications:<\/strong><\/p>\n