Nazra Izhar

Nazra Izhar
  • Ph.D. Student

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Biography —

Nazra Izhar is a doctoral candidate and Graduate Teaching Assistant at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas. She holds a master’s degree in visual communication and a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from India.

Before beginning her PhD, Nazra worked as a reporter and host at Doordarshan, India’s public broadcaster, and later served as an assistant professor for over three years. She also gained experience as a copywriter for both print and digital media and as Creative Head for a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating children from marginalized communities. Earlier in her career, she served as Editor-in-Chief of a campus tabloid. Together, these experiences strengthened her commitment to purposeful, audience-centered communication.

Nazra’s research examines digital media, health communication, and cross-cultural strategic messaging. Her dissertation explores how nonprofit organizations in India and the United States communicate about mental health on social media using a mixed-methods approach that combines content analysis and interviews.

Her work has been published in Digital Health, International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, Environmental Communication, and International Communication Research Journal, and she has presented at AEJMC, NCA, SAMCS, and the AEJMC Southeast Colloquium. Nazra has taught courses in Public Relations, Media Writing, Information Exploration, Data Visualization, and Digital Marketing Communication, and is committed to creating inclusive, hands-on learning environments.

Research —

Nazra’s research examines how individuals engage with and process health information through digital media and emerging technologies, with a focus on health behaviors and decision-making. Integrating media effects, information seeking, and information processing perspectives, her work explores how strategic messaging can enhance public understanding in an increasingly digital environment.

Research interests:

  • Misinformation
  • Emerging Technology/Digital Media
  • Media Effects
  • Information Processing
  • Media Literacy
  • Health Communication
  • Digital Media

Teaching —

Nazra adopts a student-centered teaching approach that prioritizes active learning, collaboration, and practical application of communication concepts. She fosters inclusive classrooms where students engage critically with ideas while developing real-world professional skills.

Teaching interests:

  • Media Writing
  • Digital Visualization
  • Strategic Communication
  • Mass Communication and Society
  • Health Communication

Selected Publications —

Selected Publications:

Seo, H., Burkett, K. M., Okocha, M., Ha, H., Chaif, R., Izhar, N., Coelho, M. B., Jona, B., & Iqbal, A. (2025). Social media activism and women’s health: Endometriosis awareness and support. DIGITAL HEALTH, 11. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251314905 

Seo, H., Burkett, K. M., Morales, O., Izhar, N., Chaif, R. H., Coelho, M. B., Ha, H., Jona, B., Iqbal, A., & Doyle, T. (2025). Between likes and lies: how teenage girls navigate online health information. Frontiers in Communication, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1692428 

Vu, H.T., Nguyen, N., Izhar, N., Diwanji, V.S. (2025). Climate Change is Real. Still, I Don't Wanna Talk About It”: Unraveling Spiral of Silence Effects Regarding Climate Change Among Midwestern American Farmers. Environmental Communication, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2025.2477260. 

Diwanji, V. S., Geana, M., Pei, J., Nguyen, N., Izhar, N., & Chaif, R. H. (2025). Consumers’ Emotional Responses to AI-Generated Versus Human-Generated Content: The Role of Perceived Agency, Affect, and Gaze in Health Marketing. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2454954

Silva, F., Seo, H., Baines, A., Burkett, K. M., Chaif, R., & Izhar, N. (2024). Facebook Social Support Groups on Diabetes: A Comparative Analysis of the Brazilian and U.S. Experience. International Communication Research Journal, 59(1), 46-66.

Conference Proceedings 

Wang, Y., Chaif, R. H., Jia, Y. D., Liu, H., Izhar, N., Wen, H., Ha, H., Olatunji, Sh., Ding, H., and Li, X. (2026). Intersection of TikTok/Douyin and Dementia: A Scoping Review of Research to Date (2016-May 2025). Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS).

Manuscript Under Review

Izhar, N., Etheridge, C., Okocha, M. (Under Review). Online activity and social capital: Indian citizens’ attitudes toward media and established institutions.

Etheridge, C., Izhar, N., Okocha, M. (Under review). Mediated civic engagement: Online activity and community participation on the Indian subcontinent. 

Diwanji, V., Ha, H., Izhar, N., Jona, B., Nguyen, N., & Muzhingi, S. (Under Review). Gamifying Sustainable Consumption: Leveraging Digital Games for Sustainable Behavior Adoption.


Research Team Affiliations

Computational Health and Risk Communication Group, University of Kansas (2024 – present) 
Experimental Research Group (ERG), University of Kansas (2024 – present) 
Immersion, Computation, and Expression Group (ICE), University of Kansas (2023 – present) 
EmTech & Public Interest Tech Group, University of Kansas (2022 – present 

Selected Presentations —

Selected Presentations:

Wang, Y., Chaif, R. H., Jia, Y. D., Liu, H., Izhar, N., Wen, H., Ha, H., Olatunji, S., Ding, H., & Li, X. (January 2026). Intersection of TikTok/Douyin and Dementia: A Scoping Review of Research to Date (2016–May 2025). Paper accepted for presentation at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), January 6–9, 2026, Hawaii.

Appelman, A., Pei, J., Izhar, N., & Urbina Carreño. A.E. The effects of journalistic clarity and transparency on processing fluency. Extended abstract accepted to the annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Information Systems division, June 2026, Cape Town, South Africa.

Seo, H., Burkett, K. M., Morales, O., Izhar, N., Chaif, R., Coelho, M., Ha, H., Jona, B., Iqbal, A., & Doyle, T. (August 2025). Teenage Girls and Digital Health: Navigating Health Misinformation on Social Media. Paper accepted for presentation to the Commission on the Status of Women at the 2025 annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, August 7–10, San Francisco, CA. Top Faculty Paper.

Diwanji, V., Ha, H., Izhar, N., Jona, B., Nguyen, N., & Muzhingi, S. (August 2025). Gamifying Sustainable Consumption: Leveraging Digital Games for Sustainable Behavior Adoption. Paper accepted for presentation to the Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk (ComSHER) Division at the 2025 annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, August 7–10, San Francisco, CA.

Izhar, N. (January 2025). Adivasi Lives Matter: A Case Study of Digital Activism and Community Empowerment. Paper accepted for presentation at South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference (SAMCS) 2025.

Etheridge, C. E., Izhar, N., Okocha, M. (March 2024). Mediated Civic Engagement: Online Activity and Community on the Indian Subcontinent. Paper accepted for presentation to the Open Division at AEJMC Southeast Colloquium 2024.

Izhar, N. (August 2024). Mapping the Digital Landscape of Hate: Assessing Islamophobia in Hindu Rashtra Facebook Communities. Paper accepted for presentation to the Political Communication Division at the 2024 annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Philadelphia, PA.

Izhar, N. (August 2024). Role of Cognitive Biases in Misinformation Dissemination Through Unverified Information Sharing among Indian Facebook users. Paper accepted for presentation to the International Communication Division at the 2024 annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Philadelphia, PA. 

Seo, H., Burkett, M., Okocha, M., Huong, H., Chaif, R., Izhar, N., Barros, M., Jona, B., & Iqbal, A. (August 2024). Social Media Activism and Women’s Health: Endometriosis as a Feminist Issue. Paper accepted for presentation to the Commission on the Status of Women at the 2024 annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, August 7-11, Philadelphia, PA.*Second-place Top Faculty Paper.

Nguyen, N., Izhar, N., Vu, H.T., Diwanji, V.S. (August 2024). Climate change is real, but I don’t wanna talk about it:” Unraveling spiral of silence effects regarding climate change among midwestern American farmers. Paper accepted for presentation at the 2024 annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, August 7-11, Philadelphia, PA.

Izhar, N., Burkett, M. (February 2024) Influencing Mental Health: Across Cultural Analysis of Instagram Influencer in India and USA. Paper accepted for presentation at South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference (SAMCS) 2024. 

Bien-Aimé, S., Hussain, U., Khan, H., Izhar, N., & Syed, A. (August 2024). Sports, Media and Morality: South Asian Media’s Framing of the Sania Mirza-Shoaib Malik Divorce. Paper accepted for presentation to South Asia Communication Association at the 2024 annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, August 7-11, Philadelphia, PA.

Chaif, R., & Izhar, N. (November 2024). “I am too afraid of them messing me up”: A quantitative analysis of social support in online discussions among women on birth control pills side effects. Paper accepted for presentation to the 110th Annual Convention of the National Communication Association (NCA) 2024, New Orleans, LA.

Silva, F., Baines, A., Seo, H., Burkett, M., Chaif, R., Izhar, N., & Unzueta, V. (August 2023). Comparative Analysis of Online Social Support in Health: Brazilian and U.S. Facebook Groups on Diabetes. Paper accepted for presentation to the International Communication Division at the 2023 annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, August 7-10, Washington, D.C.*First-place Latin American Communication Research and Researchers Award.

Awards & Honors —

Awards and Honors:

2025: KU William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Calder Pickett Award for Outstanding Graduate Student.

2025: Recipient of the First Place Top Faculty/Student Paper Award from the Commission on the Status of Women, Annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference, San Francisco, CA. 

2024: Recipient of the Second Place Top Faculty/Student Paper Award from the Commission on the Status of Women, Annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference, Philadelphia, PA.

2023: KU William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Resilient Student Award. 

2023: Recipient of the First Place Top Faculty/Student Paper Award from the Latin American Communication Research and Researchers, Annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference, Washington, D.C. 

2018: Dwaraka Doss Govardhan Doss Vaishnav College, India. Early Career Teaching Excellence 

2015: Gateway International School, Chennai, India. Innovative Teaching in Media Studies Award.