Nehama Lewis

Associate Professor
Department of Communication
Faculty of Social Sciences

Fields of Research:
Health Communication; Persuasion; Campaign design and evaluation; Media effects

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SHORT BIO

I am an Associate Professor at the Department of Communication at the University of Haifa, and the Vice-Dean of Research of the Herta and Paul Amir Faculty of Social Sciences. I was born in Australia and moved to Israel where I completed a B.A. and M.A. in Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University. I obtained a PhD in Health Communication at the University of Pennsylvania (2010), was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Psychology at Florida International University (2010-2012), and a visiting scholar at the University of Amsterdam’s School for Communication Research (2019). I was elected to serve on the board of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (2018-2020), and to serve as Vice-Chair (2024-2026) and Chair (2027-2028) of the Health Communication division of the International Communication Association.

My research aims to identify factors influencing human behaviors and promote positive behavior change through strategically designed media campaigns targeting and influencing these factors. I am primarily interested in promoting behaviors that enhance public health, such as cancer prevention, as well as preventing and reducing risk behaviors like drug-impaired driving. My research has been supported by an EU Marie Curie Reintegration grant, Horizon-2020 (EQUALS-EU project to promote gender equity), and by the University of Haifa’s Center for Cyber Law and Policy.

Persuasive Technology for Health Promotion

“In today’s digital age, persuasive technology has the power to transform how we promote and sustain healthy behaviors. By leveraging tailored digital tools – such as apps, wearables, and interactive platforms – we can engage individuals in a more personalized, dynamic way, encouraging lasting lifestyle changes. Our research explores how these technologies not only influence individual choices but also reshape health campaigns to be more effective and impactful. Collaborating with the Center for Cyber Law and Policy, my goal is to promote behaviors that enhance public health, such as cancer prevention and reducing risky behaviors like drug-impaired driving.” – Dr. Nehama Lewis

FUNDRAISING NEEDS

My goal is to design and evaluate large scale media campaigns aimed at supporting the health and wellbeing of different populations in Israel, with a focus on promoting the health of individuals in marginalized communities. I would like to partner with donors to establish a dedicated health communication center that can support an interdisciplinary team of students and researchers that can contribute to research and also make a far-reaching real-world impact.

We seek to serve as a leading hub for researchers and students and to provide them with a research center in which they can conduct formative research in collaboration with community members. The activities at the center would include designing and testing campaign messages, conducting pilot studies, and designing, implementing and evaluating large-scale public communication campaigns.

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