Lab Alumni – COM-PSI Lab

Dr. John Brooks

Dr. Brooks is a Post-Doctoral Associate in the Department of Communication at SUNY University at Buffalo. His research primarily pertains to mass communication in the context of health and politics—specifically, the use of entertainment-education to promote prosocial outcomes, the power of strategic narratives to shape public health, and the influence of mass media representations of contentious social issues—and has been published in leading outlets including Health Communication, Media Psychology, and Journal of Health Communication. In addition to research, John is an enthusiastic educator: he previously received the School of Communication’s “Outstanding Graduate Instructor” award and has worked extensively with the Searle Center for Advancing Learning & Teaching as a Graduate Teaching Mentor and Formative Feedback Partner. Previously, John completed a B.A. in Theatre/Gender Studies, an M.S. in Health Communication, an M.A. and Ph.D. in Media, Technology, and Society, all from Northwestern.

Dr. Camille Saucier

Dr. Saucier (PhD– Northwestern University, '24) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Clemson University. Her research focuses on developing person-centered communication strategies to promote openness to accurate information and build resilience against misinformation. She leverages theories and techniques like self-affirmation, narratives, parasocial relationships, and humor to facilitate receptivity to health messaging. Her work also examines factors influencing people's willingness to fact-check dubious claims and methods to curb the appeal of conspiracy theories. Prior to joining COM-PSI, she worked as a research specialist with the Media Impact Project and Hollywood, Health & Society under the Norman Lear Center. She holds a B.A. in Psychology, an M.C.M. in Communication Management, and a Certificate in Sustainable Policy and Planning from the University of Southern California as well as a Ph.D in Media, Technology, & Society from Northwestern University.

Dr. Sapna Suresh

Dr. Suresh is a Senior Research Associate at Sentient Research, Inc. in Los Angeles, California. Her research interests center around message effects and persuasion, including how message features (e.g., emotion appeals, narrative format), the message channel (e.g., social media, television), and aspects of audiences (e.g., identity group, psychological attributes) interact to produce psycho-social effects. She hopes to channel her findings towards facilitating pro-social decision-making in the areas of health, science, and the environment. Sapna holds a B.A. from Rice University in environmental engineering and policy studies and a Ph.D in Media, Technology, & Society from Northwestern University.

Dr. Michael Spikes
Dr. Spikes is a Lecturer and Director of Teach for Chicago Journalism in the Medill School of Journalism, Media, & Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. His research focus concerns connecting cognitive, social, and learning environmental design theories to news media literacy education and interventions. Before coming to Northwestern, Dr. Spikes worked for the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University where he developed curriculum and training in news literacy as the Director of its Digital Resource Center and the Illinois News Literacy & Civic Learning Project. Dr. Spikes also held positions as a Media Studies and Production teacher in both public and public charter schools in Washington, D.C.; as a member of the Newseum's educational advisory team; and as a media producer and editor for numerous organizations including NPR, the PBS NewsHour, and the Kellogg School of Management. Dr. Spikes holds a B.A. in Mass Media; Television & Digital Media from the University of the District of Columbia, an M.S. in Educational Technological Systems Management from Stony Brook University, and a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University.

Dr. Stefanie Demetriades

Dr. Demetriades is an Assistant Professor of Communication at DePaul University and the former Co-Director of the COM-PSI Lab. Her research areas are rooted in a fundamental interest in how individuals and publics respond to challenges in the context of technological, political, and social uncertainty. Studying these dynamics in the context of health, science, and politics, her research interests boil down to one simple question: how can we provide more effective and equitable care and services to vulnerable and marginalized populations in the U.S. and across the globe? Dr. Demetriades holds a B.A. in International Relations, an M.A. in Public Diplomacy, and a Ph.D. in Communication, all from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Christiana Robbins

Dr. Robbins is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing and formerly held a Postdoctoral position in the COM-PSI lab. Trained in social network analysis, systems theory, and actor-network theory, she sees communication and public health issues as complex webs of interdependent forces best analyzed using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. As a neurodivergent, queer scholar, she works to incorporate diverse and often ignored perspectives into all of her work. She is particularly interested in gender issues, specifically reproductive rights and maternal mortality. She holds a B.A. in Communication and English– with an honors emphasis in philosophy– from Pacific Union College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Southern California.