Kathryn L. Duvall

Connecting Place to Disease and Gender: Cohabitating Morbidities in Narratives of Women Cancer Survivors in Southern Central Appalachia

Drawing on critical feminist narrative inquiry, we explore illness narratives of women cancer survivors living in Southern Central Appalachia via a daylong story circle (n = 26) and individual interviews (n = 3). In our article, we argue that participants functioned as illness genealogists as a consequence of their central location in families, as well as their location in a place (Southern Central Appalachia) characterized by what we call “cohabitating morbidities.” We coined this term to represent the experiences of women survivors living with multiple, sometimes simultaneously occurring illness experiences in their family systems. Finally, we reveal and explore rules that guide their survivorship experiences and storytelling, contending that study participants preserve their central location within family systems by decentering their own survivorship experiences and stories.

Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Uptake, Knowledge, and Acceptance for Youth: A Systematic Review of Appalachia

Though vaccine uptake and public support have risen since the release of the first HPV vaccines, the United States has far lower initiation and completion rates for the HPV vaccine series in comparison to other vaccines indicated for youth. Disparities are even greater in the Appalachian regions. Understanding factors contributing to these discrepancies is vital to improving vaccine rates in Appalachia. A comprehensive literature search identified all articles pertaining to HPV vaccination in children and adolescents living in Appalachia. The final 15 articles were included in a systematic review of the topic.