Mary E.  Andrews investigates how identity and social experiences influence the way individuals process messages, and how exposure to messages changes beliefs, attitudes, and behavior. Andrews has conducted studies examining how exposure to messages (e.g., advertising) has exacerbated certain health disparities and how messages (e.g., first-person narratives) can be leveraged to reduce health disparities. Her work has been applied across several domains, including tobacco, COVID-19, and HIV.