Emily Scheinfeld

My primary area of study lies at the intersection of interpersonal and health communication. My research centers on the ways that people communicatively manage health information, illness, and wellness. The primary foci of my work involve family communication, specifically parent-child at all stages of life. In that context, my work primarily focuses on disclosure processes, uncertainty, and decision-making. I'm interested in the nuances of revealing and concealing information,  how and why people talk about health, and the implications those conversations have for perceptions of efficacy, wellness (both physical and mental) outcomes, social support, and behavior enactment.

My published research encompasses topics like disclosure in families when it comes to challenging health issues, including weight management and sexually transmitted infections/sexual health. My current projects quantitatively and qualitatively examine factors that influence family members to talk to one another about more general health issues (e.g., going to the doctor), and how these communicative processes impact if, when, how families talk about the "scarier stuff" including end-of-life, sexual health, drugs, and genetic testing.

I've taught courses in communication research methods, professional communication, interpersonal communication, family communication, and health communication.
Supervisors: Jennifer Monahan, Ph.D, Minsun Shim, Ph.D, Erin Donovan, Ph.D., Mike Mackert, Ph.D, Tiffany Whitaker, Ph.D, Anita Vangelisti, Ph.D, and Rene Dailey, Ph.D.
Phone: 678.390.4262
Address: Assistant Professor
School of Communication & Media
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Kennesaw State University
402 Bartow Avenue, MD 2207
Kennesaw, Georgia 30144