Devlon N. Jackson
Assistant Research Professor, Behavioral and Community Health
djacks04@umd.edu (301) 405-1464SPH | Room 2356
Devlon N. Jackson, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Research Professor and Health Communication and Culture Scientist specializing in digital health, cultural adaptation, and community-engaged prevention science. Rather than focusing on an isolated health condition outcome, Dr. Jackson’s research centers on intersecting health behaviors to advance prevention and risk reduction. She examines communication opportunities and challenges, cultural norms, and community context to understand how individuals seek, access, evaluate, and use health information for holistic physical and mental wellness.
Dr. Jackson employs community-engaged and participatory principles to center the voices and lived experiences of diverse populations across intersecting identities. Recognizing that communities seek health information across various channels, her work evaluates and co-designs tailored communication solutions, spanning interactive digital tools (i.e., mHealth apps with personalized algorithmic content, dashboards, telehealth), print and digital content (resource guides, rack cards, posters), and tailored health campaigns aimed at informed decision-making and bridging the digital divide.
Department Information
- Department of Behavioral and Community Health
- Center for Health Equity
- Horowitz Center for Health Literacy
Digital Health; Communication Inequalities; Communities of Color; Health Information Seeking; Health Equity
Research Grants
NIH-National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (Investigator Diversity Research Supplement Grant)- Using Health Information Technology to Improve Community Care Coordination and Reduce Racial Ethnic Mental Health Disparities, 2019 (3 years), PI
NIH-National Library of Medicine (R01) - HealthyMe/MiSalud Smartphone Application: Identifying Mechanisms to Engage African Americans and Hispanics in Personal Health Libraries, 2018 (4 years), Project Director
Honors and Awards
Outstanding Research Presentation, "Implications of Social Media Use on Health Information Technology Use: Data from HINTS 4 Cycle 3," DC Health Communication Conference, 2015
HLTH371 Communicating Safety and Health
HLTH671 Public Health Communication
Cancer Research Training Award Fellow, NIH-National Cancer Institute, 2015
Health Communication Informatics Research Branch, Rockville, MD
PhD, Communication and Culture, 2014
Howard University, Washington, D.C.
MPH, Health Education and Promotion, 2006
Florida International University, Miami, FL
BA, Organizational Communication, 2004
University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
JACKSON, D., Trivedi, N., & Baur, C. (2020). Re-prioritizing digital health and health literacy in Healthy People 2030 to affect health equity. Health Communication. PMID: 32354233.
JACKSON, D., Peterson, E. B., Blake, K.D., Coa, K., Chou, W. S. (2019). Americans’ trust in health information sources: Trends and sociodemographics predictors. American Journal of Health Promotion, 33(8): 1187-1193. PMID: 31337226
Blake, K.D., Thai, C., Falisi, A., Chou, W.S., Oh, A., JACKSON, D., Gaysynsky, A., & Hesse, B. (2019). Video-based interventions for cancer control: A systematic review. Health Education & Behavior, 47(2): 249-257. PMID: 31701780.
JACKSON, D., Passmore, S., Fryer, C. S., Chen, J., Kleinman, D., Horowitz, A. M., Butler, J., Garza, M. A., Quinn, S.C., Thomas, S. B. (2018). Mission of Mercy emergency dental clinics: An opportunity to promote general and oral health. BMC Public Health, 18:878. PMCID: PMC6045818
Thomas, S. B., Passmore, S., JACKSON, D., Casper, E., Horowitz, A., & Kleinman, D. (2017). The 2014 Mid-Maryland Mission of Mercy dental clinic: Building community capacity and complementing public policy. American Journal of Public Health,107(no S1), S74-S76. PMCID: PMC5497877
JACKSON, D., Chou, WS., Coa, K., Oh, A., & Hesse, B. (2016). Implications of social media use on health information technology engagement: Data from HINTS 4 Cycle 3, Translation Behavioral Medicine, 6(4), 566-576. PMCID: PMC5110501
Oh, A., Chou, W.S., JACKSON, D., Cykert, S., Eng, E., & Community Rx (2016). Reducing cancer disparities through community engagement: The promises of informatics. In B. Hesse, D. Ahern, & E. Beckjord. Oncology informatics: Using health information technology to improve processes and outcomes in cancer (pgs. 24-38). Massachusetts: Elsevier.
Thompson, J., Brown, R., & JACKSON, D. (2016). Context of the dark side of communication. In E.Gilchrist-Petty & S. D. Long. Exploring the dark side of social support among African Americans with prostate cancer (pgs. 137-150). New York: Peter Lang.