Dr. Deena Kemp

Biography

Deena Kemp is an Assistant Professor at the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations in the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research draws on theories of persuasion, emotion, and behavioral economics to inform communication interventions aimed at improving social outcomes. She has a particular interest in the impact of hard-hitting message strategies, the use of disgust-evoking images, and decision-making contexts in health-related charity aid communication. Kemp's research has been funded by the National Science Foundation's Division of Social and Economic Sciences, the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas, ExxonMobil Research Engineering Company, and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. A dominant theme in her work is the understanding of communication campaigns used to address substance misuse prevention. Before joining UT Austin, she was involved in an NIH/FDA-sponsored grant examining the impact of cigarette graphic warning labels on low-income populations. Kemp completed her doctoral studies at Cornell University and was selected as an NIH Scholar by the National Institute on Drug Abuse in 2022. She is currently the co-Principal Investigator for a Texas Targeted Opioid Response grant-funded campaign research program. With over a decade of experience, she has developed and implemented communication strategies for community and academic health organizations, serving previously as Associate Director of Stewardship Communication at the University of South Florida Health System, among other roles.

Research Interests

Experience