Patrick Dillon

Patrick Dillon (Ph.D., University of South Florida) is an assistant professor in the School of Communication Studies at Kent State University at Stark. He teaches courses in health communication, communication research methods, and communication and conflict.

Patrick’s scholarship explores health inequality in contemporary society. He uses qualitative research methods (e.g., interviews, participant-observation, etc.) to examine how the day-to-day health experiences of marginalized populations are impacted by macro-level social forces, such as health policy, economic inequality, and racism. He focuses, in particular, on advancing health communication scholarship in three primary areas: (1) end-of-life, (2) HIV/AIDS, and (3) substance abuse. His work appears in leading journals such as Health Communication, Communication and Medicine, Journal of Family Communication, Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, and Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy.

Recent Publications
Obong’o, C. O., Alexander, A. A., Chavan, P. P., Dillon, P. J., & Kedia, S. K. (In press). Choosing to live or die: Online narratives of recovering from methamphetamine abuse. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

Alexander, A. A., Obong’o, C. O., Chavan, P. P., Dillon, P. J., & Kedia, S. K. (In press). Addicted to the ‘life of methamphetamine’: Perceived barriers to sustained methamphetamine recovery. Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy.

Dillon, P. J., & Basu, A. (2016). African Americans and hospice care: A culture-centered exploration of enrollment disparities. Health Communication, 11, 1385-1394.
  
Dillon, P. J., & Basu, A. (2016). Toward eliminating hospice enrollment disparities among African Americans: A qualitative study. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 27, 219–237.

Basu, A., Dillon, P. J., & Romero-Daza, N. (2016). Understanding culture and its influence on HIV/AIDS-related communication among minority men who have sex with men. Health Communication, 11, 1367-1374.