Shawn C. Chiang, PhD, MPH

Biography

Dr. Shawn Chiang (he/him) is a social behavioral scientist dedicated to reducing health disparities in cancer prevention and control through translational digital health and communication science. As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the Texas A&M School of Public Health, Dr. Chiang focuses on understanding how individual, interpersonal, and social factors influence health behaviors, particularly those related to cancer prevention. His research explores the potential of new communication technologies to promote healthy behaviors and examines the accompanying challenges. Dr. Chiang also develops and evaluates novel, theory-driven methods and interventions that leverage these technologies to improve health outcomes. He believes that understanding the complex interplay between technology, behavior, and social environment is crucial for creating effective and accessible interventions that empower individuals and communities.

Dr. Chiang directs the Communication for Addressing Cancer Health Equity (CACHE) Lab, fostering a warm and inclusive space for a diverse community of scholars. The lab explores innovative behavioral and communication strategies to reduce health disparities through community-engaged and culturally tailored approaches. Graduate students in the lab contribute to ongoing projects, gaining hands-on research experience utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods. Some current collaborative research projects include:

• Examining the role of acculturation on HPV vaccination attitudes, beliefs, and communication preferences among Asian/Asian Americans.
• Developing a machine-learning model to analyze HPV/Cervical Cancer-related video content on YouTube.
• Delivering a multi-level smoking cessation program to pregnant smokers in Texas.

Dr. Chiang also actively participates in organizations supporting health disparity and equity work, such as Society of Health Communication, American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB), Texas A&M Data Science Institute (TAMIDS), Society for Behavioral Medicine (SBM), and the Asian American Research Center on Health (ARCH). Dr. Chiang was recently recognized as an emerging scholar by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities’ Health Disparities Research Institute in 2024.  

Prospective students interested in working with Dr. Chiang or the CACHE lab should email him to express interest before submitting application materials.