Amanda Bradshaw

Assistant Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications

Email:
asbrads1@olemiss.edu
Office Location:
114 Farley Hall
Phone:
662-915-7146
Office Hours:
By appointment
Social Media:
- LinkedIn

Dr. Amanda Sams Bradshaw is an assistant professor of integrated marketing communications in the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi.

Research Interests

My overall research agenda focuses on the nexus of social network communication and individual decision making. Specifically, I examine how both organic interactions and paid messages on social network platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube) which are typically health related, inform individuals’ decision making and identity formation –as individuals, as patients, as parents, and as caregivers.
I am primarily a qualitative researcher and use immersive methods such as in-depth interviewing, focus groups, and thematic analysis to make meaning from phenomena in the topical area of health communication.
My research agenda thus far has focused mainly on vaccine hesitancy and maternal health decision making derived from social network content and peer-to-peer social network interactions. While I plan to continue my research on social media and vaccine hesitancy and have some current projects in the works, I also plan to expand my work into other areas that are in a similar vein, analyzing how social network interactions can influence identity formation and health information seeking and decision making on myriad topics via social comparison and other mechanisms.
I am especially interested in the dynamics inherent within the different platforms and the communities that form around various health issues (e.g., Closed Facebook groups vs. Reddit communities vs. TikTok).
Outside of health communication, I am also interested in how social networks are used to persuade individuals on behalf of brands and how organizations utilize social network assets to build mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders who are members of their key publics.
Finally, I am interested in pedagogy research as related to best practices in the classroom to teach integrated marketing communications courses, courses in the public relations specialization, and social media management, professional development, and project management skills to students.

Biography

Dr. Bradshaw received her Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of Florida, where she specialized in health communication research. She obtained her M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from West Virginia University, and B.A. in Journalism from the University of Alabama.

Bradshaw's professional experience includes working as the Public Relations Manager of Preferred Medical Group (PMG), a multi-disciplinary, multi-location medical practice, with a daily volume of 100+ patients. In this role, she managed all strategic communication efforts. This included creating branded advertising content (e.g., brochures, direct mail, billboard content, radio commercials, and 18 television commercials) in addition to managing all digital branding (e.g., profiles on Healthgrades, Vitals.com, Google, and social media channels). Additionally, in a public relations capacity, Bradshaw managed special events, including creating and executing the inaugural Expectant Mommy Expo and two subsequent Expo events, which included 300 participants (target goal was 50 participants per event).

Bradshaw established partnerships with 20 local schools and actively engaged with key stakeholders in the community to promote the practice. She created media pitches for local media outlets, and prepared medical professionals to appear in various capacities related to their topical areas of expertise, including the coordination and publication of a new monthly physician blog and publication of a handbook for expectant parents. Additionally, she coordinated internal communications initiatives and oversaw all physician and staff recruitment, human resources, and office processes and procedures, including increasing well child check-ups by 56% through direct communication efforts. Finally, Bradshaw oversaw the acquisition of a family practice, co-managed the launch and promotion of a third location, and hired 70 personnel in addition to personally recruiting more than 150 patients. Ultimately, her work resulted in more than $875,000 in potential revenue generation during her three years at PMG.

She later held the role of Director of Sales and Brand Growth for Chick-fil-A in Lawton, OK, resulting in an outside sales increase of 600% over one year. Simultaneously, she owned and operated a social media consulting firm for more than two years before beginning her Ph.D. in 2017.

Her dissertation: “Our Ultimate Hope or Something Sinister: Social Media Advertisements, Digital Discourse with Physicians, and Maternal Source Credibility Perceptions of Pro-vaccine Messages During a Global Pandemic” earned an honorable mention in the international Nafziger-White-Salwn Dissertation Award juried competition.

Bradshaw previously performed public affairs work for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business, and she gained experience working for magazines and newspapers while earning her journalism degree (e.g., The Tuscaloosa News, Alpine Living, and The Crimson White.)

She is the faculty advisor for the University of Mississippi Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and the chair of IMC Connect!, an annual event hosted by the School of Journalism and New Media, which brings together senior leaders in IMC from both research and practice. Finally, Bradshaw is an active member in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and the Association for Marketing & Healthcare Research (AMHCR).