Professor Dr. Sean Upshaw

Biography

Sean J. Upshaw 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. He earned his doctorate from Howard University in 2018 and has since distinguished himself as an Edward Alexander Bouchet Scholar. His research primarily focuses on health disparity communication within visual information persuasion, particularly examining how underserved populations in the United States engage with health messages. Upshaw's scholarly work has been published in notable academic journals, including Health Communication, Patient Education & Counseling, and Journalism Studies. He is an active member of several professional organizations, including the National Communication Association (NCA) and the International Communication Association (ICA), and focuses on topics such as culture-centered health communication, visual communication, health message design, and health promotion messaging.

Research Interests