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
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
Kerr, A. M., & Thompson, C. M. (2022). Medical Students’ Reactions to Uncertainty During Clinical Rotations. Family Medicine, 54(4), 285-289. https://doi.org/10.22454/FamMed.2022.947719
Thompson, C. M., Babu, S., Romo, L. K., Pulido, M. D., Liao, D., & Kriss, L. A. (2022). “I changed, I had to realize that I was wrong”: Identity gap management amidst evolving illness uncertainty. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 39(4), 844-863. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211048253
Thompson, C. M., Hintz, E. A., & Duerringer, C. M. (Accepted/In press). Setting the Agenda: Beyond Discourse Dependence and a Dependence on Discourse. Journal of Family Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15267431.2022.2041997
Thompson, C. M., Rhidenour, K. B., Blackburn, K. G., Barrett, A. K., & Babu, S. (2022). Using crowdsourced medicine to manage uncertainty on Reddit: The case of COVID-19 long-haulers. Patient Education and Counseling, 105(2), 322-330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2021.07.011
Thompson, C. M., Pulido, M. D., & Caban, S. (2022). Why Is It Difficult for Social Network Members to Support People Living with Mental Illnesses? Linking Mental Illness Uncertainty to Support Provision. Health communication, 37(2), 202-213. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1831166