Communicating to Manage Health and Illness is a valuable resource for those in the field of health and interpersonal communication, public health, medicine, and related health disciplines. This scholarly edited volume advances the theoretical bases of health communication in two key areas: 1) communication, identity, and relationships; and 2) health care provider patient interaction. Chapters aim to underscore the theory that communication processes are a link between personal, social, cultural, and institutional factors and various facets of health and illness. Contributors to the work are respected scholars from the fields of communication, public health, medicine nursing, psychology, and other areas, and focus on ways in which patient identity is communicated in health-related interactions. This book serves as an excellent reference tool and is a substantial addition to health communication literature.

Dale E. Brashers is the David L. Swanson Professorial Scholar and Head of the Department of Communication and Professor of Medicine at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. He has received the National Communication Association Golden Anniversary Monograph Award, the International Communication Association Young Scholar Award, and the National Communication Association Outstanding Health Communication Article Award. His work has been published in Communication Monographs, Health Communication, Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, AIDS Care, Issues in Mental Health Nursing, and in numerous edited books.

Daena J. Goldsmith is Professor of Communication at Lewis and Clark College. She has professional affiliations with the National Communication Association, International Communication Association, and International Association for Relationships Research. Her scholarly interests include interpersonal communication, health communication, social support, self-disclosure, gender, and culture. Her current research focuses on couples in which one person is coping with a chronic health condition such as heart disease, cancer, or HIV. Her book, Communicating Social Support, was published in 2004, and her research has appeared in Communication Monographs, Human Communication Research, Social Science and Medicine, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Health Communication, and Communication Yearbook.