Gina Merchant MA

Gina is a behavioral scientist with a strong background in psychology and measurement. Her research focuses on testing novel applications of technology for health promotion and disease prevention. Gina's current projects examine the role of social networks in supporting individual-level behavior change and how Facebook can be used as a platform for promoting weight-related behavior change. She is particularly interested in how friends influence physical activity and dietary behaviors online (versus face-to-face), and exploring the impact of computer-mediated communication on behavior. As an active member of the Human Nature Group (http://hng.ucsd.edu/index.html), Gina seeks to enrich her work in behavioral science by learning from other scientific disciplines.