Aurora Occa

Title: Assistant Professor
Office: 272 Blazer Dining
Phone: 859-257-3323
Email: Aurora.Occa@uky.edu
Website: https://comm.uky.edu/occa

Education

BSc 2011, IULM (Milan, Italy); MSc 2012, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Blacksburg, VA); MSc 2013, USI (Lugano, Switzerland); PhD 2018, University of Miami (Miami, FL)

Specialties

Health communication, message design, clinical trial communication, cancer prevention

Bio

Aurora Occa (Ph.D., University of Miami) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication. Her research is focused on advancing practical and theoretical knowledge in the area of health communication and intervention design. She is interested in understanding and addressing the challenges cancer patients and healthcare professionals encounter when discussing about cancer treatments and the opportunity to join clinical trials. She also creates and evaluates multimedia messages to help individuals prevent or screen for cancer. Her recent publications have appeared in Journal of Health Communication, Health Communication, BMC Public Health, Journal of Cancer Education, American Journal of Public Health, Health Education and Behavior, Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.