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 heath communication in interpersonal and patient-provider contexts, focusing on the role communication plays in how people navigate the uncertainties associated with conditions that are chronic, non-visible, not well understood, underfunded, and associated with stigma. My first line of research theorizes about uncertainty in relationships, often from the perspective of social network members and including those living with chronic illness. My second research area involves the development, delivery, and assessment of theoretically grounded communication trainings for social network members and health care providers to overcome the support and care challenges associated with uncertainty.
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, Communication
Associate Professor, Biomedical and Translational Sciences
Recent Publications
Makos, S., & Thompson, C. M. (2025). Core and Catalyst Criteria Motivating CrossFit Athletes to Reveal or Conceal Their Non-Visible Health Conditions. Communication and Sport, 13(1), 190-209. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795241228386
Thompson, C. M., Bishop, M. J., Dillard, T. C., Maurice, J. M., Rollins, D. D., Pulido, M. D., Salas, M. J., Mendelson, E. A., Yan, J., Gerlikovski, E. R., Benevento, S. V., Zeinstra, C., & Kesavadas, T. (2025). Healing Health Care Disparities: Development and Pilot Testing of a Virtual Reality Implicit Bias Training Module for Physicians in the Context of Black Maternal Health. Health communication, 40(3), 445-456. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2347000
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
Babu, S., Koven, M., Thompson, C. M., & Makos, S. (2024). (Re)making Scales: Communicative enfranchisement in Women’s Narrative Discourses About Health Dismissal. Health communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2386716
Kerr, A. M., Thompson, C. M., Stewart, C. A., & Rakowsky, A. (2024). Residents' Communication With Attendings About Uncertainty: A Single-Site Longitudinal Survey. Hospital pediatrics, 14(10), 852-859. https://doi.org/10.1542/hpeds.2024-007777