Dhavan V. Shah

McLeod Professor of Communication Research & Maier-Bascom Chair

MCRC

MCRC

Mass Communication Research Center

CCCR

CCCR

Center for Communication & Civic Renewal

SJMC

SJMC

School of Journalism and Mass Communication

About Professor Shah

Dhavan V. Shah (Ph.D. University of Minnesota) is the McLeod Professor of Communication Research and Maier-Bascom Chair in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is Director of the Mass Communication Research Center and Research Director of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal. His focus on the intersecting power of framing and social capital has shaped his research on (1) the influence of message construction and processing, (2) the communication dynamics shaping civic and political participation, and (3) the role of online interactions in chronic disease management. civic and political engagement, and health support and behavior. He teaches courses on strategic communication, public opinion, research methods, political communication, media psychology, and information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Highlighted Research

Battleground models Wisconsin’s contentious political communication ecology: the way that politics, social life, and communication intersect and create conditions of polarization and democratic decline. Drawing from ten years of interviews, news and social media content, and statewide surveys, we combine qualitative and computational analysis with time-series and multilevel modeling to study this hybrid communication system – an approach that yields unique insights into nationalization, social structure, conventional discourses, and the lifeworld. We explore these concepts through case studies of immigration, healthcare, and economic development, concluding that despite nationalization, distinct state-level effects vary by issue as partisan actors exert their discursive power.

Battleground: Asymmetric Communication Ecologies and the Erosion of Civil Society in Wisconsin

Battleground models Wisconsin’s contentious political communication ecology: the way that politics, social life, and communication intersect and create conditions of polarization and democratic decline. Drawing from ten years of interviews, news and social media content, and statewide surveys, we combine qualitative and computational analysis with time-series and multilevel modeling to study this hybrid communication system – an approach that yields unique insights into nationalization, social structure, conventional discourses, and the lifeworld. We explore these concepts through case studies of immigration, healthcare, and economic development, concluding that despite nationalization, distinct state-level effects vary by issue as partisan actors exert their discursive power.

Did media coverage contribute to Americans’ tendency to favor national security over civil liberties following the 9/11 attacks? How did news framing of terrorist threats support the expanding surveillance state revealed by Edward Snowden? Douglas M. McLeod and Dhavan V. Shah explore the power of news coverage to render targeted groups suspicious and to spur support for government surveillance. They argue that the tendency of journalists to frame stories around individual targets of surveillance – personifying the domestic threat – shapes citizens’ judgments about tolerance and participation, leading them to limit the civil liberties of a range of groups under scrutiny and to support “Big Brother.”

News Frames and National Security: Covering Big Brother

Did media coverage contribute to Americans’ tendency to favor national security over civil liberties following the 9/11 attacks? How did news framing of terrorist threats support the expanding surveillance state revealed by Edward Snowden? Douglas M. McLeod and Dhavan V. Shah explore the power of news coverage to render targeted groups suspicious and to spur support for government surveillance. They argue that the tendency of journalists to frame stories around individual targets of surveillance – personifying the domestic threat – shapes citizens’ judgments about tolerance and participation, leading them to limit the civil liberties of a range of groups under scrutiny and to support “Big Brother.”

University Activities

Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies (CHESS)

This transdisciplinary center conducts research and development of innovative health systems, especially information and communication services, in order to optimize individuals’ health behaviors, quality of life, and access to services. Click here for more information about CHESS.

Center for Communication and Civic Renewal (CCCR)

Research group studying the interplay of mass media, social context and modes of engagement in civic and political life. Past work focused on lifestyle politics and political consumerism; recent work has shifted to communication ecologies and polarized politics. Click here for more on CCCP.

Health Information Technology Studies (HITS)

This research group examines the influence of health communication, especially information technologies such as social and mobile media, on optimizing health behaviors, quality of life, emotional coping, and access to needed services. Click here for more information on HITS

Social Media and Democracy (SMAD)

This research team explores the social and psychological influences of social media, especially political blogs, video-sharing sites, and other user-created content, using surveys, experiments, content analysis, and other methods. Click here for more on SMAD

Institute for Diversity Science (IDS)

Among the group of IDS affiliated researchers who “conduct basic, applied, and translational research on the causes of group-based discrimination and effective ways to eliminate them.”

Major External Grants (over $50,000)

  • Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Center for Technology and Society (CTS) in support of Belfer Fellow proposal “Visualizing Hate: Detecting and Contextualizing Hateful Symbols in Capitol Attack News Coverage,” Erik Bucy and Dhavan Shah, Co-Principal Investigators and Co-Belfer Fellows – 10/1/2022–$50,000–9/30/2023
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) in support of (P01 HD109850-01) – “A Longitudinal Study Investigating TDM and Adolescent Health and Development: Brain, Behavior and Well-Being,” Megan A Moreno, Principal Investigator, w/ Christopher Cascio and Ellen M. Selkie, Project Leads, Jens C. Eickhoff, Emily Falk, Dana Litt, Julie Lumeng, Megan Ranney, Dhavan V Shah, Eva Telzer, Catalina Toma, Co-Investigators–$7,640,577–9/15/2022–9/14/2027.
  • Tow Foundation in support of a conference event “Renewing Civic Life in America: Fulfilling the Legacy of Bill Kraus” organized by the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal, Michael W Wagner and Dhavan V. Shah, Co-Organizers–$150,000 – 9/1//2022–8/31//2023.
  • Convergence Accelerator (Track F) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in support of Trust & Authenticity in Communication Systems (NSF 21-572-2230692) – “Course Correct: Precision Guidance Against Misinformation,” Michael W Wagner, Principal Investigator, Leticia D. Bode, Porismita Borah, Munmun De Choudhury, Dragut, Eduard, Srijan Kumar, William Sethares, Dhavan V. Shah, Emily K. Vraga, and Sijia Yang, Co-Investigators/Senior Personnel–$5,000,000 – 9/1//2022–8/31//2024
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) in support of Digital Healthcare Interventions to Address the Secondary Health Effects Related to Social, Behavioral, and Economic Impact of COVID-19 (1R01AA029804-01) –“Family-focused vs. Drinker-focused Smartphone Interventions to Reduce Drinking-related Consequences of COVID-19,” David H. Gustafson, Principal Investigator, w/ Marie-Louise Mares, Andrew R. Quanbeck, Dhavan V. Shah, and Earlise C. Ward, Co-Investigators–$3,378,554–9/25/2021–8/31/2024.
  • Convergence Accelerator (Track F) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in support of Trust & Authenticity in Communication Systems (NSF 21-572-2137724) – “How Large-Scale Identification and Intervention Can Empower Professional Fact-Checkers to Improve Democracy and Public Health,” Michael W Wagner, Principal Investigator, Porismita Borah, Munmun De Choudhury, Srijan Kumar, William Sethares, Dhavan V. Shah, and Sijia Yang (Co-Investigators/Senior Personnel)­–$750,000––9/15/2021–9/14/2022.
  • National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) in support of Clinical Trials to Address Multiple Chronic Health Conditions (R61HL151870-01A1) –“Using Smart Displays to Implement an Evidence-Based eHealth System for Older Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditions,” David H. Gustafson and Marie-Louise Mares, Principal Investigators, w/ Randy Brown, Jee-Seon Kim, Bilge D. Mutlu, Andrew Quanbeck, and Dhavan V. Shah, Co-Investigators–$3,858,326–8/01/2021–7/30/2026.
  • National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Rapid Response Research funding mechanism (2027689) — “RAPID: Social Media Algorithms and Interventions to Tackle the Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis,” Munmun De Choudhury, Principal Investigator, w/ Srijan Kumar, and Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, Co-Investigators – $200,000 –4/7/2020–4/6/2021. Subcontract to Center for Communication and Civic Renewal for “COVID-19 Twitter Endpoint Access” to Dhavan Shah and Sijia Yang –$21,500–4/1/2020–4/30/2021.
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in support of Interventions to Prevent and Treat Addictions (R01-DA047315-01) – “Contextualized Daily Prediction of Lapse Risk in Opioid Use Disorder by Digital Phenotyping,” John Curtin and Dhavan V. Shah, Principal Investigators; David H. Gustafson, Xiaojin Zhu, William Sethares, and Qunying Huang, Randall Brown, and Rachel Kornfield, Co-Investigators–$3,416,748–9/1/2019–8/30/2024.
  • Knight Foundation for the “Center for Communication and Civic Renewal at the University of Wisconsin–Madison,” Lewis Friedland, Dhavan Shah, and Michael Wagner, Principal Investigators, w/ Katherine Cramer, Karl Rohe, William Sethares, and Chris Wells, Co-Investigators–$1,000,000 + $160,000 UW match. 8/1/2019–7/30/2025.
  • The Damm Fund of the Journal Foundation in support of “Communication Ecologies, Political Contention, and the Crisis of Democracy,” Dhavan V. Shah, Principal Investigator, w/ Katherine Cramer, Lewis Friedland, Karl Rohe, William Sethares, Michael Wagner, and Chris Wells, Co-Investigators, $50,000–12/1/2018–11/30/2021.
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) in support of Integrative Data Analysis to Extend Research in Cancer Control and Population Sciences (1K-24CA194251) — “Mentoring and Research in Patient-Oriented Breast Cancer Diagnosis.” Elizabeth Burnside, Principal Investigator, w/ Dhavan V. Shah, Lori DuBenske, Sarina B. Schrager, Jennifer R. Cox, and Eric A. Mischo, Co-Investigators — $148,584–07/15/2018–06/30/2020.
  • Hewlett Foundation in support of “Communication Ecologies, Political Contention, and the Crisis of Democracy,” Katherine Cramer, Principal Investigator, Lewis Friedland, Karl Rohe, William Sethares, Dhavan V. Shah, Michael Wagner and Chris Wells, Co-Investigators, $150,000–9/1/2018–8/30/2020.
  • National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) in support of Behavioral Interventions to Address Multiple Chronic Health Conditions in Primary Care (R01-HL134146)– “Heart-Related Multiple Chronic Conditions in Primary Care: Behavioral Technology.” David H. Gustafson, Principal Investigator, w/ Jane Mahoney, Marie-Louise Mares, Randall T. Brown, and Dhavan V. Shah, Co-Investigators–$3,450,000–4/1/2017–3/31/2022.
  • Social Science Korea (SSK) from the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant (NRF-2016S1A3A2925033) in support of “Multi-level Divides and Inequalities in Networked Society: Social Science Problem Solving for Coexistence and Social Integration” Whasun Jho, Principal Investigator, w/ Young Min Baek, Kyu S. Hahn, Jeong-han Kang, Jibum Kim, Hoon Lee, Jae-mook Lee, So Young Lee, Wonjae Lee, Michael Macy, Juyong Park, and Dhavan V. Shah, Co-Investigators, –$1,610,000 — 9/1/2016–8/31/2020.
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in support of the Avenir Award Program for Research on Substance Abuse and HIV/AIDS (DP2-DA042424) – “Optimizing HIV Care for Patients with Substance Use Disorders Using Predictive Analytics in a Mobile Health Application,” Ryan Westergaard, Principal Investigator, w/ Dhavan V. Shah, and David H. Gustafson, Co-Investigators–$2,250,000–6/1/2016–5/31/2021.
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in support of Collaborative Clinical Trials in Drug Abuse (R01-DA040449)– “Impact on Opioid Use of Bundling Medication-Assisted Treatment with mHealth,” David H. Gustafson and Kimberly Johnson, Co-Principal Investigators, w/ Dhavan V. Shah–Scientific Director and Timothy Baker, Joe Glass, and Ryan Westergaard, Co-Investigators–$3,748,000–7/1/2015–5/31/2020.
  • Social Science Korea (SSK) from the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant (2013S1A3A2055285) in support of “Social Media, Networked Politics, and Big Data: Social Integration and the Future of Democracy,” Whasun Jho, Principal Investigator, w/ Kyu S. Hahn, Shang E. Ha, Yonghak Kim, Wonjae Lee, Michael Walton Macy, Juyong Park, and Dhavan V. Shah, Co-Investigators–$828,000 — 9/1/2013–8/31/2016.
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in support of Integration of Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment in Primary Care Settings (R01-DA034279) – “Implementing Technology‐Assisted Drug Treatment and Relapse Prevention in FQHCs,”–David H. Gustafson and Lisa Marsch, Co-Principal Investigators, w/ Dhavan V. Shah–Scientific Director–$3,494,982–7/1/2012–6/30/2017.
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in support of Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships–CP3 (P50-PHS019917A) — “Active Aging Research Center-Bringing Communities and Technology Together for Healthy Aging”–David H. Gustafson–Principal Investigator; Dhavan V. Shah–Scientific Director–$9,552,788–6 /1/2011–5/31/2017.
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI) in support of one of five Centers for Excellence in Cancer Communication Research II–CECCR (P50-CA137216-06) — “Using Technology to Enhance Cancer Communication and Improve Clinical Outcomes”–David H. Gustafson–Principal Investigator; Dhavan V. Shah–Co-Investigator & Leader of Theory and Method Core and Training Core–$8,649,891–10/1/2008–9/30/2013.
  • The Russell Sage Foundation in support of “Media Effects on Social, Institutional, and Informational Trust”– Dhavan V. Shah, Principal Investigator, w/ Douglas McLeod and Kenneth Goldstein, Co-Investigators –$67,163–8/1/2005–6/30/2007.
  • Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) through University of Maryland Foundation in support of “The Civic Ecology of Young People: A Whole-Community Youth Ethnography”–Lewis Friedland, Principal Investigator, w/ Dhavan V. Shah, Co-Investigator–$106,201–9/1/2002–8/31/2003
  • Public Broadcasting Service in support of “‘Connecting’ and ‘Disconnecting’ with Civic Life”– Dhavan V. Shah, Principal Investigator–$60,302–5/15/2001–7/31/2002.
  • Ford Foundation, Benton Foundation, and Digital Media Forum in support of “‘Connecting’ and ‘Disconnecting’ with Civic Life”– Dhavan V. Shah, Principal Investigator–$60,000–1/1/2000–8/31/2000.