Judy Watts

Judy Watts serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas' William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, where her research examines media's impact on emotional responses, attitudinal shifts, and knowledge acquisition across diverse populations. Her work bridges health communication, narrative persuasion, and developmental media studies with particular focus on sensitive health contexts.

Her educational background includes:

• B.S. in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin
• M.S. in Public Service from the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas
• Ph.D. in Communication from The Ohio State University

Watts' research centers on narrative persuasion mechanisms in health communication, particularly regarding medicated abortion, end-of-life care, and HPV education. She investigates how narrative versus non-narrative formats affect knowledge retention and attitude formation, while also exploring children's media comprehension and the role of family communication in health information sharing. Her experimental approach often examines emotional processing pathways and demographic moderators.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2022-2025) reveals consistent focus on high-stakes health communication scenarios where narrative messaging influences knowledge and behavior. Key patterns include comparative analysis of narrative/non-narrative efficacy in reproductive health contexts, investigation of source credibility dynamics (especially celebrity vs. expert sources), and examination of how ethnic-racial media representation shapes parental socialization practices. Her work increasingly addresses misinformation correction and the psychological functions of nostalgic media.