New Director of the HRC MA Program 

May 9, 2023 - Huiyi Liu

The HRCC is excited to announce Dr. Ralf Schmälzle as the new director of the Health and Risk Communication-MA (HRC MA) program. Dr. Schmälzle is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and a member of the Cognitive Science and Neuroscience Programs at MSU. Additionally, he is the co-director of the CARISMA lab as well as a core leader of the Health and Risk Communication Center. With a wide range of diverse experiences, Dr. Schmälzle brings a unique blend of knowledge in health communication to this leadership role. 

Dr. Schmälzle’s research studies how messages "get under the skin", using neuroimaging methods (like functional MRI and EEG) to capture recipients' responses to messages on a moment-to-moment basis and simultaneously from multiple subregions of the brain. The focus of his work is neuroimaging of health and risk communication as well as media neuroscience and mass communication more broadly. For example, he has worked on brain responses to tobacco prevention messaging, risky drinking messages, and risk communication. His media neuroscientific work focuses on motivational responses to messages in general, such as how suspense in movies captivates attention, how funny stories engage audiences, and so forth. 

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Dr. Ralf Schmälzle as he embarks on this new role within the HRC MA program. We would also like to thank Dr. Bree Holtz, who has led the HRC MA Program as the associate director (2018-2019), then director (2019-2023). We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Holtz for her leadership and work for the program and for our students. Dr. Holtz will be transitioning to new leadership roles in the college. Please join us in thanking her!