Hyang-Sook Kim

she/her/hers

Associate Professor

sook kim profile photo

Contact Info

Phone:
410-704-5354
Office:
VB 205B
Email:
hkim@towson.edu

Education

Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 2012
M.S. Kansas State University
M.A, Sogang University (Seoul, South Korea)
B.A. Sogang University (Seoul, South Korea)

Areas of Expertise

Health communication
Persuasion in communication technology
Consumer psychology in strategic communication

Biography

Dr. Kim received her Ph.D. in mass communication from the Pennsylvania State University in 2012 after her second master’s degree in mass communication from Kansas State University in 2007. Dr. Kim also earned her bachelor’s degree and another master’s degree at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea, in 2000 and 2002 with an emphasis in film and drama studies. Dr. Kim's research centers on the development of effective strategies for health promotion and public health education, drawing on the theoretical frameworks of cognitive and social psychology and communication technology. Her current work explores how communication technology changes people's mind and behaviors. Dr. Kim’s research can be found in major academic journals, including Journal of Health Communication, Health Communication, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Computers in Human Behavior, and International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction in addition to referred conference proceedings and edited books. 

Selected Recent Publications

 
  • Kim, H-S. & Kim, K. (2025).  A cognitive load model of entertainment education: Testing the effects of open captions on learning and persuasion. Mass Communication & Society. 1-31.     
  • Kim, H-S., Pak, J., Chung, M-Y., & Kim, Y. (2024). How self-disclosure builds cancer communities through authentic stories on YouTube. Computers in Human Behavior, 156, Article 108226.   
  • Pak, J. & Kim, H-S. (2024). The role of content labeling and discrete emotions in user participation in a COVID-19 U.S. Reddit community. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. (Equally contributed co-first author).  
  • Kim, H-S. & Chung, M-Y. (2024). A motivational technology perspective on the use of smart wrist-worn wearables for postpartum exercise and weight management. Health Communication. 1-15.   
  • Rhee, E. S. & Kim, H-S. (2023). Understanding the dynamics of online social support among postpartum mothers in online communities. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 27(4), 690-697. . 
  • Kim, H-S., Chung, M-Y., Rhee, E. S., & Kim, Y. (2022).  Is it reciprocating or self-serving?: Understanding coping strategies for postpartum depression in an online community for Korean mothers. Health Care for Women International, 43(12), 1464-1481. 
  • Kim, H-S., & Wang, W. (2022). The use of legal and social sanctions as a norming influence on texting while driving. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, 60(3), 133-148. 
  • Kim, H-S., Kim, H-J., & Juon, H-S. (2021). Racial/ethnic disparities in patient-provider communication and the role of e-health use. Journal of Health Communication, 26(3), 194-203. 
  • Kim, H-S., & Kim, K. (2020). Open captioning as a means of communicating health information: The role of cognitive load in processing entertainment-education content. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 64(3), 519-539. 
  • Pak, J., Kim, H-S., & Rhee, E. S. (2020). Characterizing social structural and linguistic behaviors of subgroup interactions: A case of online health communities for postpartum depression on Facebook. International Journal of Web Based Communities, 16(3), 225-248.