Dominic Balog-Way
Research Associate, Department of Communication

Dr. Dominic Balog-Way is a research associate (RTE Faculty) in the Department of Communication at Cornell University and member of the Risk Communication Research Group. He has interdisciplinary research interests that broadly concern risk, science, health, and environmental communication across policy domains and countries. Recent projects have revolved around scientific misinformation, strategic risk communication, public perceptions of novel energy technologies, upstream public engagement, attenuated risk issues, and government transparency. He is the primary course instructor for Communication, Environment, Science, and Health (COMM 2850/ STS 2851), and has taught undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional courses in Europe and the United States on risk communication, environmental communication, health communication, risk management, risk governance, and social science research methods. He frequently advises state, national, and international governments, as well as businesses, advocacy groups, and both undergraduate and graduate students. He is also a faculty fellow at Court-Kay-Bauer Hall.
Dominic holds a BA in Geography, MSc in Risk Analysis, and PhD in Geography, all from King’s College London. Before starting his current position, he completed post-doctorates at Cornell and King’s, and was a visiting lecturer at Maastricht University. Since 2011, he has been an active member of the Society for Risk Analysis, serving terms as Chair of the Risk Communication and Risk Policy and Law specialty groups. In 2023, he was elected inaugural Chair of the society’s Strategic Endowment Fund Board. He is the founder of Risk Communication Forums, a virtual meeting series bringing together risk communication experts from universities located across Europe and North America; founder of GEOHUB, a trans-Atlantic novel geothermal energy research collaboration; and co-organizer of the annual Ditchley Group Forums on advancing pharmaceutical benefit-risk communication.
Courses Taught
Communication, Environment, Science, and Health (COMM 2850/ STS 2851)
Contact Information
461 Mann Library
db729 [at] cornell.edu
Additional Links
Selected Publications
- Balog‐Way, D. H. P., McComas, K. A., Leong, A. D., Brown, D. O., & Schuler, K. L. (2023). Towards an evidence‐informed strategy for communicating lead ammunition risks. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 47:e1445.
- Balog-Way, D., McComas, K. A., & Besley, J. (2020). The evolving field of risk communication. Risk Analysis: an International Journal.
- Balog-Way, D., & McComas, K. A. (2020). COVID-19: Reflections on trust, tradeoffs, and preparedness. Journal of Risk Research.
- Balog-Way, D., Evensen, D., Lofstedt, R., & Bouder, F. (2020). Effects of public trust on behavioural intentions in the pharmaceutical sector: data from six European countries. Journal of Risk Research.
- Balog-Way, D., Evensen, D., & Löfstedt, R. (2020). Pharmaceutical Benefit–Risk Perception and Age Differences<br>in the USA and Germany.
- Balog-Way, D., Blazsin, H., Lofstedt, Ragnar,, & Bouder, F. (2017). Pharmaceutical benefit-risk communication tools: a review of the literature. Drug safety. 40:15--36.
- Balog-Way, D., Bouder, F., Löfstedt, R., & Evensen, D. (2016). Medicines transparency at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in the new information age: the perspectives of patients. Journal of Risk Research. 19:1185--1215.
- Lofstedt, R., & Balog-Way, D. (2016). Transparency and trust in the European pharmaceutical sector: Outcomes from an experimental study. Journal of Risk Research. 19:1082-1103.
- Bouder, F., Balog-Way, D., Löfstedt, R., & Evensen, D. (2015). Transparency in Europe: a quantitative study. Risk Analysis: an International Journal. 35:1210--1229.
- Balog-Way, D. (2017). Transparency in risk regulation: the case of the European Medicines Agency. King's College London.
- Balog‐Way, D. H. P., Cantor, R., McComas, K. A.,, Niederdeppe, J., Pidgeon, N., Rickard, L., and Zwickle, A. (2023) Communicating Effectively about Attenuated Risks: Where are we now and where are we going? Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting. December 11. Washington, DC.
- Balog-Way, D.H.P (2023) Thinking Critically about Misinformation. 10th Annual Ditchley Group Forum. May 19. Ditchley Park, Oxford, UK.
- Balog-Way, D.H.P. (2022) The Evolving Field of Risk Communication: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going? Risk Communication Forum. December 8. Tampa, FL,
- Balog-Way, D.H.P., Chu, H., Mitchell, J., and Weir, M. (2022) Roundtable: Public Health Risk Modelling & Communication in the time of COVID-19: What went right and what went wrong? Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting. December 7. Tampa, FL,
- Aven, T., Balog-Way, D.H.P., Guikema, S., and McComas, K.A. (2022) Risk Science Perspectives on Information, Misinformation, and Disinformation. Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting. December 7. Tampa, FL.
- Balog-Way, D.H.P. (2022) How can we improve the effectiveness of risk communication. New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation, Health, and Agriculture & Markets. December 7.
- Balog-Way, D.H.P. (2021) The Evolving Field of Risk Communication: Where are we now and where are we going? National Institutes of Health. July 8.
- Science Reporting in a Changing Climate: How can we Do Better? Special SRA Event. December 2019. National Press Club, First Amendment Lounge, Washington, DC, USA.
- Bridging the Risk-Science Policy Gap: Are Regulatory Agencies Ready? Society for Risk Analysis’s Annual Meeting. December 2019. SRA. Arlington, VA, USA.
- Talking about My Generation (Part III): Benefit-Risk Communication and Older Adults. 9th Annual Ditchley Group Forum. June 2019. Convento do Espinheiro. Évora, Portugal.
- Can Big Data Improve Healthcare Quality Regulation? An International Comparative Analysis. Health Care Quality and Outcomes (HCQO) Working Group. June 2019. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). Paris, France.
- Talking about My Generation: Exploring Benefit-Risk Communication and Older Adults. Drug Information Association Europe’s Annual Meeting. February 2019. DIA. Vienna, Austria.
- Medicines for Older People: The Importance of Experience in Benefit-Risk Decision-Making. 8th Annual Ditchley Group Forum. May 2018. Kerckebosch Castle. Zeist, Netherlands.
- Transparency Policies Across the Atlantic: Our Research Journey. CORS Annual Conference. October 2017. Copenhagen Centre for Regulatory Science (CORS). University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Towards a Sophisticated Framework for Measuring Pharmacovigilance Impact. International Conference on Pharmacoepidemiology. August 2017. ISPE. Palais des Congrés, Montreal, Canada.
- Transparency in Risk Regulation: Towards a Sophisticated Typology. Inaugural Cambridge Risk and Uncertainty Conference. June 2017. Cambridge University. Cambridge, UK.
- Comparing Transparency Policies at the European Food Safety Authority and European Medicines Agency. Constitutionality, Powers and Legitimacy of EU Agencies or Agency-Like Bodies. November 2016. European University Institute. Florence, Italy.
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