Devon Greyson
Dr. Devon Greyson is an assistant professor of health communication at the University
of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Communication. Before this, Greyson was a postdoctoral
fellow at the British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute studying the
role of information in decision making about prenatal and childhood vaccinations.
At the Vaccine Evaluation Centre, Greyson worked with Julie Bettinger and the Canadian
Immunization Research Network to better understand the ways that information affects
health behavior. Greyson's primary areas of expertise are the health information practices
of adolescents, parents, and families, as well as the ways health care providers and
health systems use information in efforts to improve the health of populations. With
research interests clustering around the intersection between information practices
and health behavior, Greyson is particularly keen to investigate decision-making about
health issues that are influenced by social marginalization and inequity, and the
ways information systems can exacerbate or alleviate disparities. Greyson completed a
Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies at the University of British Columbia in 2015.
Greyson's doctoral research, under the supervision of Youth Sexual Health Team leader
Dr. Jean Shoveller, investigated how socially-constructed information practices influenced
the health behavior and experiences of early-age parents. Greyson received a BA (with
honors) in Women’s Studies and Music from Oberlin College, and an MLIS from the University
of British Columbia’s School of Library, Archival and Information Studies. Greyson
has taught about gender, sexuality, health, information and public policy at Capilano
University and the UBC School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, and founded
the Social Justice Librarian blog. Work experience in the non-profit sector (domestic
violence and sexual assault), education (pre-school through adult), co- operatives,
libraries, and health services and policy research informs Greyson's research and
teaching.