Dena S. Cox
Eli Lilly Faculty Fellow and Professor of Marketing,
Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
"Hopefully, our life sciences-based research – and the work of others at Kelley who are also engaged in this type of research – will be very relevant to many of the emerging businesses Indiana wants to foster in the life sciences industry."
Since earning a master's degree in microbiology from the University of Missouri, Dena Cox has had a passion for research – her earliest experience as a cancer researcher. Several years and two business degrees later, Cox has shifted her focus to consumer research, specifically investigating how people make health care decisions.
"After a business professor suggested I pursue a Ph.D., I realized I could still do important health-related research, which is what I enjoy, and my subjects don't have to die," says Cox, who received both an M.B.A and a Ph.D. from The University of Houston. "Most of my research is focused on the effects of persuasive communications designed to instill healthy behavior change in consumers."
Currently working on projects funded by three National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, Cox collaborates closely with her husband and fellow Kelley marketing professor, Anthony (Tony) Cox, Ph.D., on a variety of research initiatives. In recent years, the two professors have studied consumer decision making regarding screening mammograms and vaccinations. The Coxes are also co-investigators on several studies directed by Dr. Gregory Zimet of the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM), including a study evaluating messages to persuade high-risk individuals to receive Hepatitis B vaccinations, and a project to discern how people make decisions about getting tested for HIV.
Additionally, Cox is researching the effects of direct-to-consumer advertising, specifically targeting the most effective ways to present risk information about treatment interventions and medical products.
A member of the Kelley faculty since 1988, Cox believes the school's location, administration and collegial environment support good business research.
"The multidisciplinary nature of our research here at Kelley is unique and really contributes to business research by broadening our perspective and encouraging different points of view," explains Cox. "Because business is not just about marketing or finance, that's a real plus. And because we're in Indianapolis, we're able to collaborate with businesses here."
