Esi Thompson Tani-Eshon

Biography

Esi Thompson Tani-Eshon, PhD. (University of Oregon), is an Associate Professor and teaches Public Relations  and strategic communication courses in addition to qualitative research methods courses at the Media School, Indiana University, Bloomington. Her research focuses on health risk/crisis communication, development communication, and strategic communication. She has studied how communication surrounding the Ebola outbreak was undertaken and received by the affected communities, and how this could inform public communication/policy around infectious disease outbreaks in developing contexts. Her research on COVID-19 has focused on using an informational intervention as a misinformation prophylaxis as well as understanding how risk information on COVID-19 is communicated and received across two contexts.

She was previously a communication consultant in Ghana and served various clients, both local and international.

Some publications

Tani-Eshon, E. T. (2025). Sense-Making During the RTS, S Malaria Vaccine Pilot Implementation in Ghana. Qualitative Health Research, https://doi.org/10.1177/104973232513479

Thompson, E. E. (2024). Narratives of living through Ebola: An exploration of a Liberian community’s agency. Frontiers in Communication, 9,1371754. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1371754

Thompson, E. E. (2024). Do knowledge, trust in source content, and magnitude of information influence COVID-19 risk perceptions? Comparing Ghanaian and US respondents. Journal of risk research, 27(2), 254-273, https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2024.2317319

Thompson E. E. (2023). Early COVID-19 home-based care knowledge and efficacies: Comparing Ghanaian and US respondents. Journal of Health Communication. 28(6), 335-343 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2023.2208080

Agley, J., Xiao, Y., Thompson, E. E.,  & Golzarri-Arroyo, L. (2023). Using normative language when describing scientific findings: Randomized, controlled trial of effects on trust and credibility. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e45482. doi: 10.2196/45482

Thompson E. E. (2022). What information and source do you trust? Comparing how information source and trust influence risk perception about Ebola in Ghana and Liberia Health Promotion International. 37(3), 1-14, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daac056 

Agley, J., Xiao, Y., Thompson, E. E., & Golzarri-Arroyo, L. (2022). Using normative language when describing scientific findings: Study protocol for a randomized, controlled trial of effects on trust and credibility. JMIR Research Protocols. https://doi.org/10.2196/41747

Thompson, E.E. (2021) Botched Ebola vaccine trials in Ghana: An analysis of discourses in the media. Vaccines 9, 177. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9020177

Agley, J., Xiao, Y., Thompson, E. E., Chen, X., & Golzarri-Arroyo, L. (2021). Intervening on Trust in Science to Reduce Belief in COVID-19 Misinformation and Increase COVID-19 Preventive Behavioral Intentions: Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet research, 23(10), e32425.

Agley, J., Xiao, Y., Thompson, E. E., & Golzarri-Arroyo, L. (2021). Factors associated with reported likelihood to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in a nationally representative US survey. Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2021.05.009

Agley, J., Xiao, Y., Thompson, E.E., Golzarri-Arroyo, L (2021). Using infographics to improve trust in science: a randomized pilot test. BMC Research Notes 14, 210 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-021-05626-4 Factors associated with reported likelihood to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in a nationally representative US survey.

 Thompson, E. E. (2020). Knowledge and risk perception about an Ebola virus outbreak: A comparative study of Ghana and Liberia. Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 13(4), 271-283.  Doi:10.1080/17538068.2020.1803644

Thompson, E. E. (2020). Risk communication in a double public health crisis: The case of Ebola and Cholera in Ghana. Risk Research. 23(7-8), 962-977. Doi: 10.1080/13669877.2020.1819386

 Thompson, E. E. & Ofori-Parku, S. S. (2020). Advocacy and mobilizing for health policy: Ghanaian News media’s framing of a prescription opioid crisis. Health Communication. Doi: 10.1080/10410236.2020.1808403

  Thompson, E. E. (2019). Communicating a Health Risk/Crisis: Exploring the experiences of journalists covering a proximate epidemic. Science Communication, 41(6), 707-731. DOI: 10.1177/1075547019878875

Editorial Activities 

Africa Today Journal: Associate Editor

Science Communication: Editorial Board Member

Journal of Health Communication   Editorial Board Member

Frontiers in Communication (Health communication): Editorial Board member

Certifications

• Certified in Adult Mental Health first aid (USA)
• Certified in QPR  Gatekeeper (Suicide prevention)
• Accredited in organization & systems development practitioner formation by the Organization Development Centre, Ghana & Gestalt Institute of Cleveland Organization & Systems Development Integrated Studies Center