Education
PhD, Speech Communication - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003
MA, Higher Education, Ball State University, 1998
BA, Communication, Michigan State University, 1996
Profile
Dr. Rintamaki is a health communication scientist with postdoctoral training in
general internal medicine and health services research. He currently maintains a
variety of studies focused on how social stigma serves as a barrier to key health
behaviors among people managing chronic illness. For instance, several of his
ongoing projects identify ways in which concern for social stigma impairs HIV
treatment adherence. He also conducts prevention research focused on
identifying and eliminating transmission vectors of communicable diseases.
One
such project has revealed how strategies for managing stigma and stereotypes
surrounding HIV sometimes lead people living with the virus to engage in
behaviors likely to infect others. Lastly, Dr.
Rintamaki studies how social stigma can affect provider-patient interactions,
leading to misunderstandings, hard feelings, and patient avoidance of the
healthcare system. His work in this area relating to HIV stigma has received
attention in mainstream media outlets, as well as clinical and infectious disease
publications across the country.
Research Interests
Dr. Rintamaki's research interests focus on the intersection of risk communication
and health behavior outcomes. He currently pursues two primary lines of inquiry,
including (a) psychosocial variables and risky behaviors, with an emphasis on
stigma management as antecedent to health behavior outcomes, and (b) stress
and coping in chronic illness, with an emphasis on how the forms, functions, and
provision of social support affect the management of health. These research lines
are the foundations for interventions designed to facilitate coping and adjustment
among people newly diagnosed with chronic illnesses, as well as equip
caregivers with coping skills that will enhance care provision and, ultimately,
health outcomes among those for whom they provide care.
Selected Publications
- Cameron KA, Rintamaki LS, Kamanda-Kosseh M, Noskin GA, Baker DW, Makoul GM (in press). Using theoretical constructs to identify key issues for targeted message design: African American seniors' perceptions about influenza ad influenza vaccination. Health Communication.
- Rintamaki LS, Weaver FM (2008). The social and personal dynamics of HIV stigma. In T. Edgar, S. M. Noar, & V. S. Freimuth (Eds.), Communication Perspectives on HIV/AIDS for the 21st Century (pp. 67-99). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Rintamaki LS, Scott AM, Kosenko K, Jensen R (2007). Male patient perceptions of HIV stigma in healthcare contexts. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 21, 956-969.
- Rintamaki LS (2007). Patient perceptions of HIV stigma in medical encounters. Medical Encounter, 21, 21-23.
- Rintamaki LS (2007). Provider-patient communication: Context and concern for HIV stigma. In B. J. Reynolds (Ed.), Foundations of Communication (pp. 171-183). Buffalo, NY: University at Buffalo Press.
- Brashers DE, Rintamaki LS, Peterson JL (2006). Pragma-dialectics and patient self-advocacy in physician-patient interactions. In M. A. van Rees & P. Houtlosser (Eds.), Considering Pragma-Dialects (pp. 24-38). Hillside, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
- Rintamaki LS, Davis TC, Skripkauskas S, Bennett CL, Wolf MS (2006). Social stigma concerns and HIV medication adherence. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 20, 359-368.
- Rintamaki LS, Brashers DE (2005). Social identity and stigma management: The case of people living with HIV. In E. B. Ray (Ed.), Health Communication in Practice (pp. 145-156). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Brashers DE, Haas SM, Neidig JL, Rintamaki LS (2002). Social activism, self-advocacy, and coping with HIV illness. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 19, 113-134.
Professional Affiliations
National Communication Association
International Comminication Association
American Academy on Communication in Healthcare
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