Vaidehi Ramanathan: Literacy and Medical Communication

In the area of language policy, Vai Ramanathan and recent Ph.D. Emily Moline are collaborating in a study of literacy policies and practices in cooperation with Yolo Reads, a community-based literacy organization in Yolo County.

Ramanathan also is conducting research related to language and health. She is participating with internal medicine physician Stephen Henry at the UC Davis Medical Center on a project regarding pain and opioid overuse. Henry’s research interests include patient-clinician communication, and research methods related to face-to-face communication in healthcare. Ramanathan’s interests in this project relate, among other things, to helping doctors discern the "language of addiction" versus "the language of genuine pain."