Faculty Profiles

Colleges and Departments

Dr. Manu Pokharel

  • Associate Professor - Department of Communication Studies
Portrait of Dr. Manu Pokharel

Biography and education

Dr. Pokharel holds a B.S. in Nursing from the Purwanchal University, Nepal; an M.S. in Health Promotion and education and a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Utah.

Dr. Pokharel's research focuses on the strategic communication of health information to the public. She utilizes foundational approaches to strategic communication—audience segmentation/targeting and message development/testing—to engage pressing issues in health communication. Her primary research program investigates the persuasive impact of visual message features on knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in the context of cancer prevention and control.

She has published several articles within and outside the discipline, in journals such as the Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Journal of Health Communication, Risk Analysis, and Journal of Dermatological Science.

You can learn more about her work at www.manupokharel.com

Teaching Interests

Research Interests

  • Pokharel, Manusheela (Principal). Normative Perceptions and Prevention Behaviors across Time: Studying COVID-19 across 36 weeks, Research Enhancement Grant, Texas State University, $8000. (Submitted: 2021, Funded: 2022 - 2023). Grant.
  • Pokharel, Manusheela (Principal). Developing and Testing Visuals for Improving Melanoma Awareness Among Dark-skinned Individuals, Research Enhancement Grant, Texas State University, $8000. (Submitted: 2019, Funded: 2020 - 2021). Grant.
  • Eger, Elizabeth Kamman, Percent Contribution: %75, Smith, Tara, Percent Contribution: %10, Pokharel, Manusheela, Percent Contribution: %5, Keeley-Vassberg, Maureen, Percent Contribution: %5, Dailey, Stephanie Layne, Percent Contribution: %5. Library Online Resource Grant, Alkek Library, Texas State University, $30740. (Funded: March 2020). Grant.
  • Kisi, Krishna P (Principal), Pokharel, Manusheela (Co-Principal). Temperature Extremes (Heat Stress and Cold Stress) in construction and general industries, US Department of Labor, Federal, $154000. (Submitted: August 1, 2022, Funded: September 30, 2022 - September 30, 2023). Grant.
  • Jensen, Jakob D (Co-Principal), King, Andy J (Co-Principal), Lilllie, Helen (Supporting), Ratcliff, Chelsea (Supporting), Pokharel, Manusheela (Supporting). Evaluating Public Communication, Perceptions, and Behaviors related to COVID-19: Improving Health Communication about Infectious Diseases, Immunology, Inflammation, and Infectious Disease Initiative, Office of the Vice President for Research, University of Utah, $24900. (Funded: March 2020 - Present). Grant.
  • Pokharel, M., Jensen, J., Christy, K., & John, K. (2023). Visual tailoring and skin cancer prevention: Comparing personalized, stock, and non-Ultraviolet images using physiological measures. Health Communication, 38(12), 2582–2591. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2091917
  • Pokharel, M., Jensen, J. D., Taylor-Burton, S. L., King, A. J., John, K. K., & Upshaw, S. (2023). Temporal frames, temporal focus, and behavioral expectations: The persuasive impact of near and distant threats. Social Science & Medicine, 328, 115967. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115967
  • Pokharel, M., Lillie, H., Nagatsuka, K., Barbour, J. B., Ratcliff, C. L., & Jensen, J. (2023). Social media narratives can influence vaccine intentions: The impact of depicting regret and character death. Computers in Human Behavior, 141, 107612. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107612
  • Jensen, J. D., Pokharel, M., Carcioppolo, N., Upshaw, S., John, K. K., & Katz, R. A. (2020). Cancer information overload: Discriminant validity and relationship to sun safe behaviors. Patient Education and Counseling, 103, 309–314. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2019.08.039
  • Pokharel, M., Elrick, A., Canary, H. E., Clayton, M. F., Sukovic, M., Champine, M., … Kaphingst, K. A. (2020). Health communication roles in Latino, Pacific Islander, and Caucasian Families: A qualitative investigation. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 29(3), 399–409. https://doi.org/10.1002/jgc4.1177
View all scholarly/creative works
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Top Paper Award, National Communication Association (NCA). November 2021
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Gerald R. Miller Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award, National Communication Association. November 21, 2020
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Doctoral Honors Seminar, National Communication Association. 2018
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Graduate Colleague of the Year Award, University of Utah. 2018
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Best Paper Award, Risk Analysis. 2017
View all awards
  1. Reviewer / Referee

    Frontiers in Communication

  2. Reviewer / Referee

    Science Communication

  3. Reviewer / Referee

    Applied Psychology Health and Wellbeing

  4. Member

    Masters Thesis Proposal Committee

  5. Member

    BS in Applied Communication Proposal Committee

  6. Member

    Department Scholarship, Awards, and Recognition Committee

  7. View all activities