Monique Turner

Monique Turner, PhD serves as the principal social and behavioral scientist for ARAC. Turner is Associate Professor and Assistant Dean at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University.  She received her Ph.D. in communication from Michigan State University with a focus on Persuasion and Social Influence. The former director of the Center for Risk Communication Research at the University of Maryland, Turner’s expertise surrounds health and risk communication—particularly message design and message effects. Most of Turner’s research focuses on how communication affects risk perceptions and, subsequently, attitude and behavior change. Dr. Turner developed the Anger Activism model—a behavioral theory explaining the conditions when emotions (anger) can be constructive versus deleterious. 

Turner’s research has been funded by organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN), the Centers for Disease Control, Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security. Turner has written and published over 50 research papers, journal articles, book chapters and books on persuasion, health communication and risk perception.  She was formerly the associate editor of Communication Research Reports, and the former Senior Editor of Health Communication. Turner is the past chairperson of both the Communication and Social Cognition Division of the National Communication Association and the Health Communication Division of the International Communication Association.