Summary

Associate Professor, Nanyang Technological University
Associate Dean
(Special Projects), College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences
Director, University Scholars Programme

Research Interests: Strategic and health communication, digitally mediated health communication

May Lwin is an Associate Professor in Strategic & Health Communication at Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. May is Associate Dean for the College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences and the Director of NTU’s University Scholars Programme.

May’s research projects involve the design, utilization and assessment of digitally mediated health communication systems to improve public health.

OnAir Post: May O. Lwin

 

Information

University web pageresearch.ntu.edu.sg/expertise/academicprofile/P

Email: TMAYLWIN@NTU.EDU.SG
Phone:  (+65)6790 6669/69083344
Address:  IC 244 / WKWSCI 03-02a

Biosketch

May O. Lwin, Professor of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication, is the Associate Dean (Special Projects) of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and Director of NTU University Scholars Programme.

Professor Lwin’s research projects involve the design, utilization and assessment of digitally mediated health communication systems to improve public health. Her research on digital technology use in promoting physical activity and nutrition education amongst children and families are being piloted in numerous schools in Singapore while her work on mobile media use for infectious diseases aids health workers in hospitals in Singapore and in Sri Lanka. She has done substantial research in health communication, cyber-wellness, advertising and public relations, and sensory communication in marketing communication contexts. For her outstanding work, she has received numerous important accolades, such as the prestigious Fulbright ASEAN Scholar 2015 Award, Ogilvy Foundation International Award for Academic Leadership 2014 and numerous other grants and awards.

Education

  • PhD National University of Singapore 1997
  • MBA National University of Singapore 1989
  • BA(Hons) Bryn Mawr College 1986

Research

Research Interests

May O. Lwin’s research interests are mainly in the areas of strategic communication and health communication. In particular, in the area of health, she examines how digital communication can influence food intake, exercise, and communicable diseases and cardiovascular health. Her research in the area of cyberwellness looks at how family and parental communication influences children and adolescents’ user behavior. In the area of sensory marketing, she has conducted research on scents, auditory factors and culture-specific symbolism in advertising. She has co-authored a number of marketing books and book chapters, including the best-selling Clueless Series (includes titles like Clueless in Advertising and Clueless in Marketing Communications) and a leading textbook for Asia, Principles and Effective IMC Practice

Research Grants

  • Academic Research Fund Tier 1 (2013-)
  • MOE Grant (2014-) [by MOE]
  • MOE Grant (2015-) [by MOE]
  • Ministry of Health (2017-) [by Ministry of Health (MOH)]
  • Ministry of Social and Family Development (2016-) [by Ministry of Social and Family Development]
  • NTU Internal Funding (2015-) [by Nanyang Technological University]
  • National Medical Research Council (2017-) [by Ministry of Health (MOH)]
  • Research Collaboration Agreement (2016-) [by Singapore Totalisator Board (SingTOTE)]
  • Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF) (2017-) [by Singapore Heart Foundation]
  • Workplace Safety and Health Institute (2017-) [by WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH INSTITUTE (WSHI)]

Current Projects

  • A Baseline, Cross-Sectional and Intervention Study Investigating Individual, Cultural and Organisational Factors Influencing Ownership of Workplace Health and Safety Leading to a Mindset Change and Actions.
  • A Model of Value Development and Health Consumption amongst Young Asians
  • A Time Based Assessment of Children Advertising Guidelines on Child Food Consumption and Preferences in Singapore
  • A Time Based Assessment of Children’s Advertising Guidelines on Child Food Consumption and Preferences in Singapore
  • A population-level study of vaccine attitude, acceptance, and uptake in Singapore
  • AGameF: Design and Development of an Intergenerational Digitally Mediated Fitness Game for Elderly Users
  • An Evaluation of the Impact of Visual and Social Category Cues on the Exercise Motivations and Behaviour of Overweight Children and Adults in the Virtual Environment
  • An Examination of the Usage and Understanding of Nutrition Labels and their Role in Health Promotion
  • An exploratory study on food preferences and effects of food advertising on children and parents in Singapore
  • BP Initiative @ Schools: Assessing the Extended and Longitudinal Effects of Knowledge Sharing and Measurement of Blood Pressure
  • Baseline study to gather information about pregnancy related knowledge and risk perceptions among potential mothers in Bangladesh
  • Breast Cancer Prevention as Social Behaviour: Integrating Intentional and Social Intervention to Motivate Breast Cancer Detection of Chinese Women
  • Can Digital Technology be in the Frontline Battle for Obesity: A Multi-platform Assessment of the Role of Digital Technology in the Communication of Health Information and Health Education of Young Singaporeans
  • Caregivers Circle
  • Complex Scents Induce Risk-Taking Behavior: Understanding the Role of Self-Control
  • Cyberbullying and Parental Mediation Strategies: A Comparative Assessment of Children and Teenagers
  • Desirable Facial Traits of Organizational Spokesperson: Portraying Credibility, Authority and Respectability in a Crisis
  • Developing Intercultural Competent Exchange Students (DICES) : Pilot study on inculcating 21st century skills for lifelong learning
  • Digital Technology For Health Interventions: Extending Scientific Knowledge To Adult And Regional Popolations
  • Digital Technology for Health Interventions: Extending Scientific Knowledge to Adult and Regional Populations
  • Discovering the Cognitive and Neurological Basis of Cultural Competence
  • Effects of individuals’ social psychological orientation and positioning of televised health message on viewers’ food consumption behaviours
  • Effects of regulatory fit and message positioning of healthy food consumption advertisements on behavioural outcomes and message recall on television: Implications for message design in health campaigns
  • Exploratory Studies of Urban Asian Health Communication and Information
  • H1N1: A Study in Health Communication
  • How Parenting Factors and Child Educational Environment Influence Children’s Online Risk-taking Behaviors: A Mixed Method Assessment
  • Impact of Digital Gaming Technology on Physical Activity and Obesity Related Behaviours
  • Influencing child food preferences : The impact of message framing & interactivity on efficacy and intention to concume fruits & vegetables
  • Information Communication Technology for Health: Improving Health Care and Disseminating Health Messages using Mobile Communication
  • Leadership in Strategic & Health Communication Education
  • Moral cleansing and sensory effects among Asian consumers in the domain of food consumption
  • Potential Acceptance of A Mobile Phone Based Influenza Communication System among Adolescents, Parents and Teachers: Role of Peers and Social Influence
  • Preparedness versus Paranoia: Examining the Effects of Over-Communicating Health Crisis Preparedness Messages
  • Preparedness versus Paranoia: Media Exposure and Singaporeans’ Awareness and Responses to the Zika
  • Promoting Uptake of Antenatal Care Services Among Pregnant Women In Bangladesh By Using An Extended Protection Motivation Theory: The Role of Innovative New Media Solution
  • Public Health Campaigns versus Food Advertising: A Model of Joint Interactive Effects on Attitudes and Behavioural Intentions towards Food Consumption in Singapore, China and USA
  • Public health communication in Sri Lanka: Understanding general beliefs, attitudes, intentions and behaviour towards civic engagement in infectious disease reporting
  • SOCIAL MOTIVATORS IN ANTI-OBESITY
  • Social Robots to Enhance the Interactivity of the BP Initiative @ Schools Program
  • Social and Health Communications and Issues
  • Sorry – but not sorry enough: Examining how apologies are uttered in times of crises
  • The Proteus Effect versus Stereotype Threat : Motivation & Performance of overweight teenagers in a physical exercise video game
  • The Role of Parental Meditation in Cyberbullying Perpetration and Victimization among Children and Adolescents
  • The Spiral of social media addiction: An examination of deficient self-regulation and habitual social medIa use among Singaporeans
  • The impact of advertising and social media on Singapore adolescents’ and youths’ materialistism and unhealthy consumption behaviours: A multi-disciplinary approach
  • The role of scent in influencing cognitive and affective responses
  • Understanding the Drivers of Corporate Image: Toward a Social Responsibility Model
  • Understanding the Impacts and Adaptation of Smartphones and New Media Applications by the Elderly
  • Understanding the practitioner’s concept of corporate image and its antecedents. Towards an aligned perspective between academics and practitioners
  • Virtual Social Interaction as Potential New Intervention Methods for Autism: Baseline Data and Pilot Programs as Building Blocks

Selected Publications

  • May O Lwin, Santosh Vijaykumar, Schubert Foo, Owen Noel Newton Fernando, Chitra Panchapakesan, Prasad Wimalaratne. (2015). Social media-based civic engagement solutions for dengue prevention in Sri Lanka: results of receptivity assessment. Health Education Research, 31(1), 1-11.
  • May O Lwin, Charles T Salmon. (2015). A retrospective overview of health communication studies in Asia from 2000 to 2013. Asian Journal of Communication, 25(1), 1-13.
  • May O Lwin, Maureen Morrin, Stanley WH Tang, Jin Yong Low, Thu Nguyen, Wei Xun Lee. (2014). See the seal? understanding restrained eaters’ responses to nutritional messages on food packaging. Health Communication, 29(8), 745-761.
  • May O Lwin, Santosh Vijaykumar, Owen Noel Newton Fernando, Siew Ann Cheong, Vajira Sampath Rathnayake, Gentatsu Lim, Yin-Leng Theng, Subhasis Chaudhuri, Schubert Foo. (2014). A 21st century approach to tackling dengue: Crowdsourced surveillance, predictive mapping and tailored communication. Acta Tropica, 130, 100-107.
  • May O Lwin, Shelly Malik. (2013). Can exergames impart health messages? Game play, framing, and drivers of physical activity among children. Journal of Health Communications, 19(2), 136-151.

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