Dr Kayo Kondo

Lecturer

Affiliations
Affiliation	Telephone
Lecturer in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures	+44 (0) 191 33 42457

Biography

I am a member of the Japanese Studies programme at Durham University, where I convene Japanese Language 1B, 1A/2B and co-teach Japanese Language 4; Critical Methods for the Study of Japanese Literature and History; and Specialised Translation (English to Japanese). In addition, as Year Abroad Coordinator (outgoing), I provide guidance and support to students preparing for their exchange in Japan. I am also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

My first degree was in Linguistics from Tokyo Woman’s Christian University, and I completed my MA and PhD in Applied Linguistics at the University of East Anglia. Before joining Durham University in 2021, I worked as a teaching associate in Japanese at the School of East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield (2020), and as a postdoctoral research associate at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at Newcastle University (2021).

My research focuses on the interconnection between applied linguistics and health communication. I explore discourses on patient narratives of health and illness, media representations of autism and learning disabilities, literary analysis of Minamata disease, patient–provider interactions in health and social care, and public health messaging. My work is grounded in discourse analysis, pragmatics, interactional sociolinguistics and ethnography, using qualitative methodologies to explore dialogic and cultural dimensions. I have collaborated with health professionals and patients to enhance inclusivity and accessibility, working across Japan and the UK.

I am the author of Patient-centred Communication: Discourse of In-home Medical Consultations for Older Adults (Multilingual Matters, Language at Work series), a monograph that explores the dynamics of medical consultations in ageing populations. I am also the co-editor of Pandemic and Crisis Discourse: Communicating COVID-19 and Public Health Strategy (Bloomsbury). This volume addresses key challenges in crisis communication, ranging from addressing cross-national issues to fostering empathy.

I am currently working on my second monograph and co-editing Healthcare, Language and Inclusivity (Routledge). My ongoing research examines media and literary texts on autism and learning disabilities in Japan and the UK, with a focus on the role of inclusive language in shaping public understanding. I am also conducting a study on learner engagement and goal setting in Japanese language teaching within UK higher education.