Dr Kami A Kosenko

Picture of Dr Kami A Kosenko

Associate Professor

Biography

Dr. Kosenko (PhD, University of Illinois) came to NCSU in 2008 and has taught theory, methods, and applied courses on the undergraduate and graduate level in the Department of Communication. Kosenko's research focuses on the role of communication in the management of stigmatized conditions and identities. Kosenko is particularly interested in sexual communication and its role in HIV/STI primary and secondary prevention. Dr. Kosenko's research has been published in top communication journals, including Communication Monographs, the Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, and Health Communication. Kosenko also has published in top-tier biomedical journals, such as AIDS Patient Care and STDs, Medical Care, and the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Kosenko has received top paper awards at national and international conferences and has secured internal and external funding (which includes a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health) to support her work.

Teaching and Research Interests

Dr. Kosenko is interested in the communicative coping processes of people with stigmatized identities and conditions. Her work focuses on concepts such as stigma, disclosure, social support, safer sex communication, attribution, uncertainty and information management, and STI prevention and management.

Projects

Dr. Kosenko's projects have addressed various issues, including:

  • Responses to HIV disclosures
  • Sources of uncertainty in HPV
  • Perceptions of stigma in health care contexts
  • Safer sex communication in the transgender community
  • Humor usage by HIV care providers
  • Uncertainty-provoking messages in online cancer news
  • Crime survivor narratives and attribution processes
  • Media effects on health behavior

 

Funded Research

INTERNAL FUNDING
Teen Pregnancy: The Influence of Communication with Peers, Partners, and Parents (Faculty Advisor)
NCSU Undergraduate Research Grant (PI: Ufuoma Scott-Emuakpor), $1000

African American Women and Heart Disease: The Effects of Communication and Community on Knowledge and Prevention Behaviors (Faculty Advisor)
NCSU Undergraduate Research Grant (PI: Ranata Reeder), $1000
 
LGBT Student Experiences in and Expectations of Communication Courses (Faculty Advisor)
NCSU Undergraduate Research Grant (PI: Stephanie Raney), $1000
 
The Forms and Effects of Trans-Related Stigma and Discrimination (Principal Investigator)
NCSU Faculty Research and Professional Development Fund, $6000
 
Safer Sex Negotiation in the Transgender Community (Principal Investigator)
University of Illinois Graduate College, $3,000
 
EXTERNAL FUNDING
The Role of Gender and Communication in Interpersonal HIV Prevention (Principal Investigator)
National Institute of Mental Health, 1F31MH078787 - 01A1, $45,000

Publications

RECENTLY PUBLISHED PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES

Kosenko, K., & Laboy, J. (2014). “I survived”: The content and forms of trauma narratives.
Journal of Loss and Trauma, 19, 497-513.

Kosenko, K., Harvey-Knowles, J., & Hurley, R. (2014). The information management
processes of women living with HPV. Journal of Health Communication, 19, 813-824.

Kosenko, K., & Laboy, J. (2014). Crime victims’ attributions for survival. Communication
Studies, 65, 39-55.

Kosenko, K., Rintamaki, L., Raney, S., & Maness, K. (2013). Transgender patient perceptions
of stigma in health care contexts. Medical Care, 51, 819-822.

Kosenko, K., Craig, E., & Harvey-Knowles, J. (2012). Helpful and challenging support
encounters in the aftermath of HPV infection and diagnosis. Issues in Mental Health
Nursing, 33, 355-362.

Harvey-Knowles, J., & Kosenko, K. (2012). Diagnosing women with HPV: The impact of
diagnosis disclosure methods. Patient Education and Counseling, 88, 152-156.

Kosenko, K., Hurley, R., & Harvey, J. (2012). Sources of the uncertainty experienced by
women with HPV. Qualitative Health Research, 22, 534-545.

Hurley, R., Kosenko, K., & Brashers, D. (2011). Uncertain terms: Message features of online
cancer news. Communication Monographs, 78, 370-390.

Kosenko, K. (2011). The safer sex communication of transgender adults: Processes and
problems. Journal of Communication, 61, 476-495.

Kosenko, K. (2011). Contextual influences on sexual risk-taking in the transgender community.
Journal of Sex Research, 48, 285-296.

Responsibilities

Departmental Scheduling Officer

Education

  • PhD in Communication from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008