Jennifer McWhirter is a PhD Candidate in the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo. She is a published researcher and writer.
Jennifer’s research and writing examine the nexus of beauty, health, mass media, and visual imagery. She is especially interested in the new, and growing, field of “visual health communication.”
Examples of her research areas include: 1) the nature and impact of images and information about breast cancer in the mass media; 2) the influence of visual images on tanning and sun safety behaviours; and 3) the health and well-being of those who work as professional fashion models. Her doctoral research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
She and her work have appeared in national newspapers, and on national television and radio programs such as: The Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, National Post, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Canada AM, CTV News, CBC News, and CBC Radio.