Natalie Dove
Associate Professor, Interim Department Head
Psychology; Women's and Gender Studies
341C Science Complex
Education
- Ph.D., Social Psychology (with minor emphases in Industrial/Organizational and Cognitive Psychology), Purdue University, 2004
- MS, Social Psychology, Purdue University, 2001
- BS, Psychology (with concentrations in Human Development and Interpersonal Relations), Ball State University, 1998
Interests and Expertise
Before coming to EMU, Dr. Dove was an assistant professor in psychology at Illinois Wesleyan University. Prior to that appointment, she completed her postdoctoral training at the Center for Health / HIV Intervention and Prevention (CHiP) at the University of Connecticut.Her research focuses on two primary areas. The first area examines factors influencing sexual and other health-related risk reduction. Questions of interest include: What intervention program characteristics most effectively impact health risk reduction for at risk populations? How can we evaluate those intervention programs so as to strengthen and improve them in the future? How can health-related media campaigns best change risky health-related behaviors? Her current research focuses on sexual risk reduction via condom use, reduced numbers of sexual partners, and fewer sexual occasions.
Her second area of research inquiry focuses on gender-related stereotypes and images in the media. To this end, she has evaluated the effectiveness of media literacy programs, such as Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty, which are designed to increase self-esteem among men and women.
Dr. Dove is skilled in meta-analysis, and has completed several meta-analyses that evaluated the efficacy of HIV-reduction programs at reducing sexual frequency outcomes in general, and also for African Americans and those in African nations. She has published several articles, book chapters, and has presented often at both regional and national conferences.