Leah Dajches

Leah Dajches (Ph.D., University of Arizona, 2022) is a postdoctoral scholar at Pennsylvania State University working on the News Literacy Initiative. Her research focuses on media representation and effects as it relates to adolescent development and marginalized group experiences. In particular, Leah is interested to understand the role of entertainment media and fandom in various components of identity development. Her research has been published in top-tier journals such as Health Communication, Journal of Children and Media, and Psychology of Popular Media, among others. At the University of Arizona, Leah taught a variety of courses including Introduction to Mass Media Effects, Survey of Mass Communication, and Gender and Communication. At Pennsylvania State University, Leah teaches courses on topics related to media effects and literacy. 

Dissertation Title

We're Here, We're Queer, and We're Stressed: Using the Minority Stress Model to Explore the Impact of Queer Readings on Mental Health among Sexual Minority Youth