معرفی
Raffael Heiss is Professor at MCI Management Center Innsbruck's Center for Social & Health Innovation and Department of Nonprofit-, Social & Health Management. He previously served as Fulbright Visiting Professor at Georgetown University and holds a PhD in Communication from the University of Vienna. His research focuses on political and health communication, digital media effects, and civic engagement.
Education:
- PhD in Communication, University of Vienna
- MA in Communication & Political Science, University of Vienna
- BA in Political Science, University of Innsbruck
His research examines how digital media shapes health behaviors, political engagement, and misinformation processing. Current projects investigate health influencers' impact on adolescents and tools for detecting reliable health information online. He employs experimental designs, panel studies, and citizen science approaches across diverse populations.
Publication trends show consistent focus on health communication (38%), social media effects (32%), and misinformation (22%), with recent work emphasizing influencer communication and youth health literacy. Methodologically, 65% employ experimental designs while 28% use content analysis.
Awards & Grants:
- Fulbright Visiting Scholar Grant (2022)
- Austrian Science Fund grants for health influencer research (€350k, €90k)
- Ars Docendi State Prize for Teaching Excellence
- Top Paper Awards from ICA and AEJMC
Supervises 15+ graduate students annually on topics spanning health communication, social media analytics, and tourism management. Leads research collaborations with EU institutions on countering health disinformation.
