Vivian Medina-Messner
Education
- Ph.D. in education, concentration in art education, Virginia Commonwealth University (December 2022)
- M.A. in business journalism, Florida International University
- B.A. in international communications and international affairs, American University of Paris in France
- A.A. in communication/journalism, Miami-Dade Community College - Wolfson Campus
Line of research
Medina-Messner’s research interests include understanding Latino/Latinx/Hispanic communities in education and in the digital space. Her research agenda includes working on social media and health communication issues and exploring Latinx/Latino communities and their visual culture.
Research and scholarship
- Guidry O’Donnell, N. H., Messner, M., Medina-Messner, V., Crenshaw, J., Rodriguez, R., & Rugas, F. (2020). How mass communication programs can facilitate voter engagement on campus. Teaching Journalism and Mass Communications, 10 (2), 55-58.
- Guidry, J.P.D., Meganck, S.L., Lovari, A., Messner, M., Medina-Messner, V., Adams, J., & Sherman, S. (2019). Tweeting about #diseases and #publichealth: Communicating global health issues across nations. Health Communication. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/ref/10.1080/10410236.2019.1620089.
- Messner, M., Medina-Messner, V., & Guidry, J. (2016). Global health and social media: Using Instagram and Twitter in an open online class for global service-learning projects. Communication Teacher, 30(4), 185-189.
- Guidry, J., Messner, M., Jin, Y., & Medina-Messner, V. (2015). From #mcdonaldsfail to #dominossucks: An analysis of Instagram images about the 10 largest fast food companies. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 20(3), 344-359.
- Guidry, J., Messner, M., Jin. Y., & Medina-Messner, V. (2015). Watch, listen and respond: Mobile pre-crisis monitoring on Instagram. The Book of Employee Communications Strategies and Tactics. PR News Press.
Biography
Vivian Medina-Messner is an Assistant Professor of Journalism at the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is currently working on her Ph.D. at VCU’s School of Education. She earned a Master of Arts in business journalism from Florida International University and a Bachelor of Arts in international communications and international affairs from the American University of Paris, France. She also has an Associate of Arts from Miami-Dade Community College – Wolfson Campus. Her teaching specialties include teaching large online classes in mass communications and global communications, diversity in the media, digital and social media. She has also taught writing, reporting, public relations and multimedia classes in the undergraduate and graduate journalism programs. Medina-Messner is the Media Innovation Task Force Chair at the Robertson School. She is co-chair of the Diversity Committee at the Robertson School. Her research interests include exploring the intersection of social media and health communication and understanding Latino/Latinx/Hispanic communities in education and in the digital space.
What does the Holmes Scholars program mean to you?
The VCU Holmes Scholars Program provides me with a sense of community and many opportunities to receive professional development and mentorship. The program also connects me with VCU and nationwide scholars and researchers who are talented, smart and supportive. As a Latina scholar, I appreciate learning from my peers and mentors. It is inspiring to see how these scholars tackle the current challenges in our communities and aim to provide solutions.