Grantee: Andy Tan, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., M.B.B.S.

Andy Tan

Andy Tan, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., M.B.B.S.

Health Communication Researcher
BRP FEATURED GRANTEE
Organization:
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dr. Tan's research program is aimed at advancing communication science to achieve health equity for all. His work addresses three key research questions: 1) Are there inequalities in exposure to marketing, media, and public health messages among diverse populations, 2) What are the impacts of communication inequalities on health behaviors and outcomes, and 3) What are effective and evidence-based communication strategies to address tobacco-related health disparities. His current research project is focused on community-engaged research involving organizations that serve LGBTQ+ communities to design and develop culturally appropriate communication interventions to reduce smoking prevalence among young adult women who identify as LGBQ+. These interventions are informed by persuasion and message effects theories, social determinants of health frameworks, and implementation science. The goal of this work is to translate this knowledge into scalable and culturally sensitive communication interventions to alleviate tobacco- and cancer-related health disparities. He became interested in this area of research following his experience in health promotion and education, including designing, implementing, and evaluating strategic communications programs.


My research is influenced by the foundational work on structural influences of communication inequalities (Viswanath), tobacco-related health disparities (Fagan), and minority stress and resilience model (Meyer).”