Contact Information
702 South Wright St
M/C 456
Urbana, IL 61801
Research Areas
Research Interests
- interpersonal and health communication
- patient-provider communication
- uncertainty, stigma, contested illness, illness work
Research Description
I study health communication in personal and patient-provider relationships, specifically focusing on the role uncertainty plays in how people understand health. My research illuminates two perspectives: individuals’ understandings of their own health and individuals’ understandings of others’ health. My first line of research examines how people in personal relationships navigate illness uncertainty and uncertain illnesses, primarily those conditions such as mental illness and chronic pain that are not visible and not well understood. My second research area involves improving health care through educational trainings for medical students and physicians centered on uncertainty management, including implicit bias.
Education
University of Texas at Austin, Communication, Ph.D.
Arizona State University, Communication, B.A., M.A.
Courses Taught
CMN 462: Interpersonal Health Communication
Additional Campus Affiliations
Associate Professor, Biomedical and Translational Sciences
Recent Publications
Adamson, B., Thompson, C. M., Makos, S., Pool, K., Liechty, T., Chiu, C. Y., Woo, M., & Rice, L. (2024). What happens post-pilot testing? A model for revising a disability awareness and competency training program. Disability and Health Journal, 17(3), Article 101612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2024.101612
Makos, S., & Thompson, C. M. (Accepted/In press). Core and Catalyst Criteria Motivating CrossFit Athletes to Reveal or Conceal Their Non-Visible Health Conditions. Communication and Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795241228386
Moein, S., Peterson, E. W., Kottorp, A., Thompson, C., Mahajan, H. P., & Rice, L. A. (Accepted/In press). Development, reliability, and validity assessment of a fall concerns scale for people who use wheelchairs and scooters (FCS-WC/S). Disability and Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2024.2391107
Romo, L. K., Abetz, J. S., & Thompson, C. M. (2024). An examination of mothers’ sensemaking of ‘mommy drinking culture’. Journal of Family Studies, 30(5), 861-880. https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2024.2344492
Scott, A. M., Coolidge, A. A., Donovan, E. E., Kerr, A. M., Longtin, K., Thompson, C. M., Ring, D., & Van Scoy, L. J. (Accepted/In press). The Impact of Health Communication Research on Medical and Health Professional Education and Training. Health communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2326258