I am interested in using communication theory and concepts to find practical answers to public health problems. Communication scholars, more than those in other disciplines, have the benefit of studying the practical and the profound, and my work and future research plans are a strong demonstration of this. Guided by the perspective that effective interpersonal communication is key to the fight against HIV/AIDS, my research explores the communication aspects of the HIV experience. My past and ongoing projects examine the psychosocial experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in hopes of improving interventions and public health programs dedicated to HIV secondary prevention. My dissertation, which investigates the meanings and dilemmas of sexual health and communication among transgender individuals, is my first foray into HIV primary prevention and will lead to continued programmatic efforts.
My work at the University of Illinois has been influenced heavily by my advisor, Dr. Dale Brashers. Under his guidance, I have become involved in two large projects. One, a meta-analysis and meta-synthesis of the literature on social support for people living with HIV, has produced a chapter in the book, Communication Perspectives on HIV/AIDS for the 21st Century and several other papers in various stages of preparation. The second project involved two studies: one, an experimental manipulation of HIV disclosure messages to examine their effects on reactions to familial disclosures, and the other, a study in which people with HIV evaluated the reactions to HIV disclosures elicited in study one. The first study from this project is in press in Health Communication and the second study is in preparation for submission. I have been part of several other projects with an Assistant Professor at SUNY Buffalo, Dr. Lance Rintamaki. One project, a grounded theory study of HIV stigma experienced by PLWHA, has produced several conference papers and a piece in press at AIDS Patient Care and STDs. Taken together, my work with Dr. Rintamaki and Dr. Brashers has allowed me to build a program of research on the communication practices and processes of relevance to HIV care and prevention.
My
dissertation is a continuation of this trend and involves semi-structured,
face-to-face interviews with transgender individuals about the meanings
and dilemmas of sexual safety and communication. Disturbingly high HIV
prevalence rates in the transgender community have been tied to a number
of transgender-specific risk factors, including work in the sex trade,
needle sharing for hormone injections, and problems negotiating safer
sexual practices for fear of drawing attention to one’s genitalia;
however, most HIV prevention programs are not designed with the unique
needs of the transgender community in mind. To lay the groundwork for
more culturally relevant and specific HIV prevention programs, my dissertation
explores the transgender experience with sex, sexual safety, and sexual
communication. This study would not have been possible without grant
funding. I have attained both internal (i.e., $3000 from the Graduate
College at the University of Illinois) and external (i.e., $45,000 pre-doctoral
training grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, grant no.
F31MH078787-01A1) funding as well as experience working with the grants
and contracts office and external funding agencies while working on
my dissertation.