Ph.D. Student
Wayne State University
Sydney O’Shay-Wallace is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI). She is part of an interdisciplinary research team studying the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, where her role is focused on the impacted population’s information seeking throughout the crisis. Outside of this team, her research is centered around the health communication topics of substance abuse in families, and patient-provider interactions when patients have a history of substance abuse. Sydney is most interested in the role stigma plays in these relational contexts.
Informational Sources and Media Uses: Examining Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Flint’s Water Crisis
Our study investigates relationships between race and ethnicity, media uses, and informational sources during an ongoing water contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan. This study employs an instrumental view of communication and uses and gratification theory. Results suggest differences between race and ethnicity, media uses, and informational sources.