Dr. Debora Perez Torres, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication & Media

This episode will bring you a smile! Dr. Perez Torres brings her happiness to this interview which features her infectious laugh. Her educational path has a terrific travel element to it and that is fun to hear. 

Empirical evidence is her stronghold as she talks about her research and expertise in media effects. I asked her if she could devise a course to teach what would it be and what would the students learn. It's fascinating!

Bio

Dr. Debora Pérez Torres (She/Her/Ella) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the California State University, San Bernardino. She holds a BA in Journalism and Media Studies from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) in México, an M.A. in Communication from the University of Utah, and a PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Her research focuses on emotion, social identity, and media effects, particularly in the context of minority populations, namely Latinos. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Applied Communication Research, Health Communication, and Media Psychology. She teaches courses on strategic communication, media effects, global communication, organizational communication, and research methods. She lives in California with her marvelous husband Dr. Benjamin K. Smith and delightful daughter Olivia.

Education

• Ph.D. in Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Focus: Media Effects, Latino/a/x Stress and Well-Being
  • Dissertation: Media-Based Coping for Latino Populations
• M.A. in Communication, University of Utah
  • Focus: Health Communication, Media Effects, Latino/a/x Disparities
  • Thesis: The Influence of Ethnic Newspaper Consumption on Cancer Prevention Behaviors: A Test of The Cognitive Mediation Model
• B.A. (Licenciatura) in Journalism and Media Studies, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey
  • International Honors Program:
    • Georgetown University, Washington DC
    • University of Ulster, Northern Ireland
    • Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

Research and Teaching Interests

Media and emotion; Stress and coping; Media and well-being; Stress and media effects; Latinos and media effects; Discrimination-related stress; Persuasion and narratives; Ethnic health disparities; Health promotion and education.