Education

Ph.D., Communication, University of Maryland, College Park
M.A., Media Studies, Syracuse University
B.S., Journalism and Mass Communication, Iowa State University

Background

Before joining the University of South Carolina, Tong Lin was a postdoctoral scholar in the Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion at The Ohio State University College of Public Health.

Awards

Top Paper Award, National Communication Association (2025), Visual Communication Division
Professional Development Award, The Ohio State University (2025)

Research

Lin conducts research in health communication and tobacco regulatory science, with a focus on developing and evaluating behavioral interventions. Her interdisciplinary work examines how innovative message design and digital information environments shape trust in health information and media platforms, risk perceptions, and behavioral intentions across individual and community contexts. Her recent work focuses on tobacco and cancer prevention among youth and young adults. She uses social-scientific methods, including online and lab experiments, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys.

Grants and Funded Research

 The Ohio State University Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (OSU-TCORS) Pilot Award. "Leveraging Social Norms for Oral Nicotine Pouch Prevention: Towards an Innovative Media Strategy." National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. 2024–2026. Role: Principal Investigator ($15,000).

Summer Research Fellowship. University of Maryland, College Park. 2023. ($5,000).

Teaching

Lin takes an applied, inquiry-based approach to teaching. She encourages students to apply theory in real-world contexts and to learn by examining evidence and working through problems. Her goal is to help students develop the skills and confidence to think independently and collaborate effectively. Lin has taught courses in persuasion, research methods, and visual communication.

Recent Publications

 Lin, T., Wagner, D. D., Choy, D., Hartman, C., Henck, A., Louer, J. A., O’Shaughnessy, L., & Roberts, M. E. (2026). Seeing is believing? Credibility and behavioral intentions toward evidence-based and misleading health information. American Journal of Health Promotion. 

Lin, T., & Nan, X. (2026). Framing morality: A systematic review of experimental research on the persuasive effects of moral appeals. Review of Communication, 1–16. 

Lin, T., Keller-Hamilton, B., & Roberts, M. E. (2025). Shaping youth tobacco use: Tobacco 21 policy messaging to increase policy support and reduce intentions to use. Substance Use & Misuse, 61(8), 1103–1111.

Lin, T., Singer, J. M., & Roberts, M. E. (2025). Community perceptions of flavor restriction policies: A scoping review of disaggregated outcomes. Nicotine & Tobacco Research. 

Lin, T., Wang, Y., Thier, K., & Nan, X. (2025). Normative influence in a time of distrust and polarization: How perceived social norms predict COVID-19 vaccination intentions among Black Americans. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 48(4), 644–658.