Kirsten Isgro, Ph.D. is Associate Professor in Communication Studies at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh and core faculty in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences,  Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences at the University of Vermont. She is committed to improving relationship centered communication between providers and patients and their families.

Dr. Isgro serves on the national executive board for the Academy of Communication in Healthcare and Vermont Pediatric Palliative Care Program Steering Committee.  She sat on the Patient and Parent Advisory Council (PFAC) for the Vermont Children's Hospital at the University of Vermont Medical Center for seven years. She has worked for sexual justice with the Columbus (Ohio) Urban League, the National Assault Prevention Center, the Ohio Coalition on Sexual Assault and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. She was education coordinator for the AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region (ASMR) in rural New Hampshire and later coordinated professional workshops on gender and sexual health issues across New England for educators and health providers. She worked with the International Women’s Tribune Centre (IWTC) in New York City as a research fellow, where she monitored and researched United Nations and non-governmental organization activity, particularly those focusing on HIV/AIDS and women and disarmament issues. She is a family faculty member for the University of Vermont medical and nursing students, which include teaching collaborative communication skills with families with medically complicated needs.