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Health Psychology

Health Faculty

Linda Cameron
Anna Epperson
Martin Hagger
Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook
Jennifer Howell
Anna Song
Jan Wallander
Deborah Wiebe
Matthew Zawadzki

Health Program

Health psychology is a rapidly emerging field of basic and applied research into the interactions between behavior and physical health.

In broad terms, health psychology seeks to understand the role behavior plays in the etiology, treatment and prevention of disease. There is also an interest in how variation in physical health, including disease, affects behavior. Behavior in this context is broadly construed to encompass environmental, psychosocial and sociocultural factors, as well as individual behavioral attributes (e.g., personality).

At UC Merced, we seek to develop excellence in research and education in health psychology. Health psychology has been identified as one of the main areas of emphasis within psychology; the other two areas currently are developmental psychology and quantitative psychology.

Interest in health psychology at UC Merced was initiated at UC Merced in 2007 when Jan Wallander joined the faculty. We plan to keep growing by adding about one faculty member and two to four new students each year in the near future.

The specific research areas within health psychology at UC Merced continue to expand as our faculty grows, though current areas of focus include research with children, adolescents and adults. Given our location in the Central Valley of California, with its diverse population, and being tasked as a university to address challenges this region confronts, we also have a strong interest in cultural influences on health and health problems among ethnic minority populations.

Specific topics being examined by faculty include:

  • Quality of life in vulnerable health populations, such as those with a chronic disease (e.g., asthma, diabetes) or disability;
  • Family coping with a child that has a chronic disease or disability;
  • Behavioral interventions (e.g. written self-disclosure) in chronic disease care;
  • Prevention of disease and disability in vulnerable populations (e.g., infants with birth asphyxia);
  • Health and development in developing countries (e.g., Zambia, India);
  • Development of problem behaviors (e.g., depression, violence) and health risk behaviors (e.g., substance use, poor nutrition) in adolescence;
  • Decision making regarding risk behaviors (e.g., tobacco use, gambling) in adolescents and young adults;
  • Cultural influences on health-related and risk behaviors and health among members of ethnic minority groups (e.g., Hispanics, Asian Americans, African Americans);
  • The impact of coping processes (e.g., approach and avoidance) on psychological adjustment to illness and health-related adversity.
  • Psychosocial and biological processes in acute and chronic stress.

Curriculum

Below is a list of some specialized courses in health psychology offered to graduate students in Psychological Sciences. Additional courses in quantitative methods and developmental psychology might be recommended based on the student's research interests.

  • PSY 220: Health Psychology
  • PSY 221: Issues in Health Psychology
  • PSY 222: Introduction to Psychoneuroimmunology
  • PSY 224: Health Disparities
  • PSY 225: Health Risk Decision Making
  • PSY 290: Special Topics - Stress and Health
  • PSY 290: Special Topics - Health Behavior Change
  • PSY 290: Special Topics - Chronic Illnesses
  • PSY 290: Special Topics - Development and Health
  • PSY 290: Special Topics - Health Interventions
  • PSY 290: Special Topics - Social Psychology and Health

Updated 2021