Endowed Professorship Fuels Innovative Approach to Alcohol Studies

In January 2025, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy advised that alcohol increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer, calling for stronger warning labels nationwide. Alcohol misuse is already the third-leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., behind smoking and obesity, yet more than 90% of people with alcohol use disorder, or AUD, never seek help. This urgent public health challenge, paired with a unique donor gift, sets the stage for a distinctive interdisciplinary academic appointment in the Department of Communication: The Endowed Professorship in Alcohol Studies and Communication.

Building a Foundation

For decades, University of Arizona Communication Regents Professor Chris Segrin’s scholarship has examined psychological distress and interpersonal connections. Within this work, he studied what he terms “problem drinking” — alcohol use that damages health, relationships, or safety, even without meeting the clinical threshold for AUD. 

Segrin’s work explored how factors such as coping with psychological pain, life transitions, poverty, negative emotions, and social isolation influence alcohol use. 

In the early 2000s — at the request of a graduate student interested in children of alcoholics — Segrin collaborated on donor-funded, alcohol-related research at the University of Kansas, an experience that encouraged him to continue this line of study. Later, at the University of Arizona, an anonymous donor gift arrived about a decade ago, allowing him to pick the research back up. 

“This all started because the donor awoke in me something that was in the periphery of my research,” Segrin said. 

Passing the Torch

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A second generous gift from the same anonymous donor established an endowed professorship in Alcohol Studies and Communication. The inaugural holder, TJ Moon, joined the Department of Communication in fall 2025 as an assistant professor. 

“This professorship represents exactly what the future of communication research should look like, addressing cross-disciplinary, real-world research problems that will have a social impact,” said Jennifer Stevens Aubrey, interim head of the Department of Communication. “We are so appreciative for the gift that made this happen.” 

This professorship enhances the university’s capacity for innovative, cross-disciplinary research and teaching in alcohol studies — an area in which the department is already uniquely positioned. 

“We’re one of the few communication departments in the world that has multiple people who study communication and alcohol consumption,” Segrin said.

Moon is a key part of that distinction, though his path into alcohol research was not linear. He began his academic career in cancer research, applying communication technology to support patients. He brings a rare combination of training — communication, psychiatry, information technologies, medical industrial engineering, and psychopharmacology — that allows him to bridge multiple fields. 

“What’s the best thing you can have for understanding a problem?” Segrin said. “Professors who triangulate around it from multiple perspectives.” 

“I had a journey beyond the traditional scope of communication,” Moon said. “I want to share my knowledge with my communication colleagues, what I learned from that.” 

As a Ph.D. student, Moon developed an app to help people manage alcohol use disorder. It offered education, craving-control tools, and social support — resources designed to help people outside clinical settings. 

Moon’s most recent work explored biosensors like ankle monitors and reward-based abstinence programs. Collaborating with clinical and judicial teams, he saw how technology could transform alcohol treatment.

The Power of Donor Support

Without the donor gift, Moon’s hire would not have been possible. 

“This gift is life-changing for the program,” Segrin said. 

He explained that such philanthropy acts as seed funding: It lets early-career researchers conduct the quality studies federal agencies expect to see before awarding grants. Without a track record, competition for extramural funding is fierce and is very hard to break into. 

“Without that proof of quality,” Segrin said, “you’re not on their radar.” 

With university start-up funds now scarce, donor gifts fill the gap — helping scholars build credibility and gather evidence to secure larger federal grants. 

Unlike federal grants, donor support lets researchers reach broader communities — access Segrin and Moon see as key to addressing alcohol use disorder at scale with more innovative, affordable treatments. 
 

“I believe there’s a huge promise in providing more cost-effective and more accessible treatment to people who need help,” Moon said. “That will be one of my major research topics for the foreseeable future.” 

Moon’s vision builds on Segrin’s foundation while charting new territory. One focus is technology-driven treatment: mobile apps, biosensors, and daily feedback that can help people manage alcohol use disorder beyond the clinic. 

In tackling excessive alcohol use, Moon believes communication strategies — not just treatment or warning labels — could offer more effective approaches. What matters, he stresses, is not only that labels exist but what they communicate. 

Current U.S. alcohol labels only warn about pregnancy risks. But recent recognition of alcohol’s link to cancer opens the door for new warnings. Moon is interested in how “fear appeal” messages, combined with data indicating risky levels of alcohol consumption from each alcoholic drink, could change consumer behavior. 

“We need to provide this information so consumers can better understand the risk,” Moon said. 

Looking Ahead

For Segrin, seeing the professorship come to life marks a full-circle moment. 

“I’m very excited to see what kind of work TJ is going to do,” Segrin said. “I think he has a very bright future in our field.” 

Moon aims to encourage students to seek out opportunities that draw on learning from across different fields, just as he did. 

“I hope I can inspire this generation of college students to open their eyes beyond the scope of typical, conventional communication perspective,” Moon said. “That’s how we enrich the culture as a communication department.”

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This story was included in the fall 2025 Developments newsletter.