My primary research interest is in communication processes between patients, families and providers in medical and mental health settings. I am particularly interested in the emotional content of these interactions, especially the means by which actors manage their own and others' emotions. Much of my older work has addressed ideologies of practice, through which practitioners construct, communicate, and enforce definitions of physical, mental, and/or emotional health and illness. More recently, I have begun research on caregivers for advanced cancer patients, focusing on stress, grief, and the reconstruction of self.