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 and 1A/2B and co-teach Japanese Language 4, Critical Methods for the Study of Japanese Literature and History, and Specialised Translation (English to Japanese). As the Japanese Studies 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, with a specific focus on clinical discourses. I explore discourses on autism spectrum disorder and learning disabilities, mental health social work, clinical empathy, person-centred communication in medical and healthcare settings, and public health messaging, working across Japan and the UK. My work is grounded in discourse analysis, pragmatics and ethnography, using qualitative methodologies and data analysis software to explore the cultural dimensions of health communication in Japan and the UK. I have collaborated with health professionals and social workers to enhance inclusivity and accessibility in healthcare settings.

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 working on my second monograph and co-editing Healthcare, Language and Inclusivity (Routledge). My current research examines media discourses on autism and learning disabilities in Japan and the UK, focusing on the role of inclusive language in shaping public understanding. I am also conducting a study on goal setting in Japanese language teaching in UK higher education.