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Corey Basch, a professor of public health at William Paterson University whose recent work focused on the growing influence of social media on public health, has been selected as a 2026 NJBIZ Healthcare Heroes honoree. The awards recognize excellence, promote innovation, and honor the efforts of individuals and organizations making a significant impact on the quality of health care in New Jersey. Basch is being honored in the Education category.
The NJBIZ Healthcare Heroes Award honorees were chosen by a panel of independent judges and include individuals and organizations across 11 categories.
“We congratulate Dr. Basch on this well-deserved recognition,” said President Richard J. Helldobler. “At a time when more people, especially young people, are getting and acting on health information from social media, Dr. Basch’s work is critical to informing public health communication policy and strategies. It exemplifies the kind of high-level research with real-world applications that is being conducted by William Paterson faculty.”
Basch is a leading voice in public health communication. She has shaped how critical health information is understood and shared across New Jersey and beyond, with a focus on empowering individuals to make informed decisions.
Most recently, she has explored how social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram influence the spread of health information, misinformation, and public response during health crises. For example, Basch analyzed 100 videos on TikTok with the hashtag #mentalhealth that had collectively received more than 1 billion views. Her results showed that adolescents appeared to be turning to TikTok as a source of support. While noting that such support may build community, “a great concern is that adolescents may be making faulty self-diagnoses and treatment plans in the absence of professional insight,” she told the New York Times.
Basch has explored numerous other topics, such as hormonal contraceptive discussions on TikTok, social media depictions of noise pollution, TikTok videos posted under the hashtag #Ozempic, COVID-19, chronic disease, cancer education, distracted walking, and perceptions of artificial intelligence. She is the author of more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, and she frequently cited in national media including The Washington Post, CBS, NBC, and Parents. She received the William Paterson University Faculty Excellence Award for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Expression in 2017.
A Certified Health Education Specialist, Basch teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in public health and mentors future health leaders. She holds multiple master’s degrees and a doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University, as well as an MPH from University of Massachusetts Amherst. She served two terms as chair of WP’s Department of Public Health and held editorial roles with the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
