Erin Donovan-Kicken

Dr. Erin Donovan-Kicken (Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008) specializes in interpersonal and health communication. Her research centers on the ways that people communicatively cope with major life stressors. The primary foci of her work involve the strategic management of sensitive information and difficult conversations, especially pertaining to health and illness. She is interested in the nuances of self-disclosure and topic avoidance, for example, how message features (e.g., goal-relevant information) and people’s perceptions of talk (e.g., explanations for communication behaviors) have implications for relationship satisfaction, uncertainty management, and health. Her current projects examine how communication with significant others, including loved ones and professionals, factors into how people navigate conditions such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and depression. Her work has appeared in publications such as Human Communication Research, Health Communication, and Personal Relationships. Dr. Donovan-Kicken teaches courses in interpersonal communication, health communication, and persuasion.