Dr. Shawnika Hull

Dr. Shawnika Hull is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Prevention and Community Health. Dr. Hull specializes in strategic public health communication research and practice. Dr. Hull's research focuses on the processes through which mediated messages affect social and individual determinants of health, especially in the context of HIV prevention. Her work has been published in leading public health, and health communication journals, including: American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Sex Research, Health Psychology, Health Communication and Journal of Health Communication.  Her work has been funded through various non-profit and governmental agencies, including MAC AIDS Fund, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the DC Center for AIDS Research.

Dr. Hull’s research focuses on the design, implementation and evaluation of health promotion messages and interventions and understanding the processes of effects. She led the research behind the construction, implementation and evaluation of a social marketing campaign to reduce HIV among gay men of color by affecting homophobia in the community. The campaign, called Acceptance Journeys, was designed to address homophobia and its impact on the HIV related risk experienced among young gay men of color.

Dr. Hull’s work also focuses on PrEP promotion among women in the District of Columbia.