Rachel Achorn

Dr. Riggs is a health communication, interpersonal communication, and media effects researcher. More specifically, she is interested in understanding the role of media in encouraging adolescents’ and emerging adults’ disclosure of sexual assault and mental health problems. Her hope is that her research will help university administrators and nonprofit practitioners use the findings to create more effective campaigns encouraging those affected by sexual assault to disclose their experiences in order to seek out social support and access health resources. Dr. Riggs has published her research in the Journal of Health Communication, the Journal of Children and Media, and the Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research. She has presented her research at conferences for the International Communication Association, National Communication Association, and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Dr. Riggs finds immense value in giving back to students through creating a welcoming, caring environment in which we can explore complex ideas and develop important career skills. In her teaching career, she has developed a unique teaching style through teaching a diverse assortment of classes including theory-based classes, writing-based classes, and seminar or core classes. At UNF, she mainly teaches Public Relations Writing and Principles of Public Relations.