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Zachary Massey, PhD

Zachary Massey, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Health Promotion Sciences

zachary-massey@ou.edu

Zachary Massey, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Hudson College of Public Health, and faculty at the TSET Health Promotion Research Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Campus and Stephenson Cancer Center.

Dr. Massey’s research explores how communication science can improve public health and reduce the burden of chronic disease. His work focuses on substance use—particularly tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis—and aims to design and evaluate population-level interventions that impact related health outcomes. This program uses two complementary approaches: (1) conducting descriptive research to understand risk behaviors within specific audiences, and (2) developing and testing communication strategies for tailored interventions, policy initiatives, and health campaigns that effectively address those behaviors.

Dr. Massey is a team scientist who uses quantitative (e.g., surveys and experiments), qualitative (e.g., interviews and focus groups), and mixed methods (e.g., content analysis). His program provides a collaborative environment for students to learn about public health communication, regulatory science, and addiction science across domains and methods. He directs the ECHO Lab (Evidence-based Communication for Health Outcomes) at the University of Oklahoma Health Campus. He is the principal investigator on a K01 award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Education:

Graduate Education
Ph.D. - University of Oklahoma, Department of Communication

Post-graduate Training
Postdoctoral Fellowship - Georgia State University, School of Public Health

Funding:

Current Funding:

K01DA057395 (PI: Massey; Primary mentors Hammond & Froeliger; Site mentor: Cohn)
Title: Developing and testing warning labels for retail cannabis products.
Support: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Dates: 9/1/2023 – 8/31/2028
Total: $813,548

Presbyterian Health Foundation Seed Grant (PI: Massey; Co-Is: Cohn, Vogel, & Chen)
Title: Testing effects of cannabis packaging on perceptions and intentions for hazardous use among adults in the US: The national cannabis packaging study.
Dates: 10/1/2025 – 9/30/2026
Total: $75,000

Stephenson Cancer Cener Bridge Grant (PI: Massey)
Title: Designing effective alcohol health warnings: An experimental study with adults in the US.
Dates: 5/1/2025 – 4/30/2026
Total: $50,000

Select Publications:

  1. Massey, Z. B., Ibe, C., Smith, M. A., Vogel, E. A., Thrasher, J. F., & Hammond, D. (2025). “Well, if they exist, I ignore them”: A focus group study of recall and reactions to cannabis health warnings by cannabis consumers in the United States. Preventive Medicine Reports, 60, 103306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103306
  2. Massey, Z. B., Anbari, A., Wang, N., Olajire, A., Lawrie, L., Martinez, P., McCarthy, D. (2025). Developing and testing health warnings about alcohol and risk for breast cancer: Results from a national experiment with young adult women in the United States. Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.70003
  3. Massey, Z. B., Fairman, R. T., Cham, B., Alqahtani, M., Luo, R., Weaver, S. R., Ashley, D. L., & Popova, L. (2025). Types of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) used by people of different age and smoking status groups: Results from a US nationally representative survey. BMJ Open. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-087775
  4. Popova, L., Massey, Z. B., & Giordano, N. A. (2024). Warning labels as a public health intervention: Effects and challenges for tobacco, cannabis, and opioid medications. Annual Review of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-060922-042254
  5. Massey, Z. B., Hammond, D., & Froeliger, B. (2023). A systematic review of cannabis health warning research. Preventive Medicine Reports, 37, 102573. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102573

 

Past works can be found at the following sites: