Hanbo Liu


Hanbo Liu
  • Ph.D. Student

Contact Info


Biography

Hanbo Liu is a PhD student in Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas. Her research focuses on media representation, gender, and health communication, with a particular interest in how digital platforms shape the identities of marginalized groups.

Her recent work examines the representation of ADHD on social media, especially on TikTok, exploring how visibility, gender norms, and platform dynamics influence public understanding of neurodiversity. Her ongoing research further investigates how women with ADHD engage with media representations and reconstruct their identities through digital encounters.

Hanbo’s broader research agenda centers on amplifying underrepresented voices and challenging deficit-based narratives in media discourse. Her work contributes to conversations in feminist media studies, digital media, and health communication.

As a graduate teaching assistant, she is committed to creating inclusive and supportive learning environments. She emphasizes accessible research practices and provides individualized guidance to help students navigate complex academic tasks.

Research

Research interests: 

  • Media representation
  • Neurodiversity (ADHD)
  • Gender and identity
  • Digital media platforms
  • Health communication

Research Group:

  • Media Representation Research Group
  • EmTech and Public Interest Tech Group
  • Computational Health and Risk Communication Group

Teaching

Teaching Experience:

JMC302 Information Exploration

Teaching interests:

  • Information exploration

Selected Publications

Bien-Aimé, S., Hussain, U., & Liu, H. (2024). Media coverage of the Olympic refugee team contributes to sportswashing. In D. Jackson, A. Bernstein, M. Butterworth, Y. Cho, D. S. Coombs, M. Devlin & A. C. Vimieiro (Eds.), Olympic and Paralympic Analysis 2024: Mega events, media, and the politics of sport, pp. 40. Center for Sports Communication & Media at the University of Texas at Austin and Centre for Comparative Politics and Media Research at Bournemouth University. Retreived from https://olympicanalysis.org/.

Selected Presentations

Conference:

Liu, H., Muzhingi, S., Taylor, B., & Wang, Y. (2026). From problem to presence: A comparative analysis of ADHD frames on TikTok. International Communication Association Annual Conference.

Liu, H., & Bien-Aimé, S. (2025). A comparative study of the news media representation of Chinese female astronauts in the past decade. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference (Top Paper Award).

Wang, Y., Chaif, R. H., Jia, D. Y., Liu, H., et al. (2026). Intersection of TikTok/Douyin and Dementia: A scoping review of research to date (2016–2025). Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-59).