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Andrea Langbecker earns second PhD with Cum Laude for media research on vaccine coverage

Updated: Sep 30

Andrea with UC3M colleagues


Andrea Langbecker, a MediaLab team member, recently defended her PhD in media research at the Department of Communication, UC3M. The viva voce, held in early July, was her second PhD, achieving the Cum Laude distinction.


Her research thesis focuses on a comparative analysis of the coverage of vaccines in Spanish and Brazilian media. The mixed-methods study advanced key recommendations from the findings that will enable the media ecosystem in both countries to be more socially responsible to their societies.


Speaking at the defense, the leader of her panel, Professor Dr. Carmen Pernafiel-Saiz, commended her innovative approach in comparing the reportage of vaccines in Spanish and Brazilian press, while adding a few comments to improve the quality of the study.


Other members of the panel, including the Director of the Department, Dr. Clara Sainz, commended Andrea for an excellent thesis, while also congratulating her research director, Professor Dr. Daniel Catalan-Matamoros, for producing such outstanding work.


The defense was attended by other MediaLab research group members and colleagues from the Department of Communication to support the candidate.


Andrea has significantly contributed to media research, having authored multiple high-impact publications in top-rated journals. She previously earned her first PhD in Public Health from the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil, with a bachelor's in journalism and a master's degree in public health, both from Brazil.


We believe this additional degree will enhance MediaLab’s efforts to push the boundaries of knowledge in media research. We also expect Andrea to apply the skills and expertise gained from her study to support the implementation of research projects at MediaLab.

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