Sharing Psychology in Public Health

1. Sharing Psychology in Public Health Brenda M. DeVellis, PhD Professor of Health Behavior & Health Education Research Professor of Psychology Robert F. DeVellis, PhD Professor of Health Behavior & Health Education Adjunct Professor of Psychology

2. The Learners All graduate students: We enroll 35 students/year to our 2 year MPH program and 8-10 doctoral students per year Entering doctoral students must have prior a master’s degree in a related field

3. The Learners (contd.) Goal of MPH program – to prepare analytic practitioners for positions in health education planning, management, and evaluation. A national and international reputation for articulating and promoting community based participatory research in public health.

4. Disciplinary Composition of the Department • 7 of 20 faculty are psychologists • 2 are sociologists • Remainder trained in health behavior & health education • Since 1970, Department Chairs have been psychologists or sociologists

5. Three Conceptual Domains • Health Communication: e.g.,web-based interventions, risk communication • Interpersonal and social processes in health and illness: e.g., social support, peer and family influences • Community Engagement: how communities and organizations bring about social, structural, and policy changes

6. Role of Psychology in Curriculum • Psychology is a core discipline for health behavior • Understanding and influencing health behavior

7. Is Psychology Required? • First semester 4-credit required course in Social and Behavioral Foundations of HBHE with 60% of content psychology • Both MPH and PhD students have a social and behavioral science comp question focused on applying theory and/or conceptual models to a public health problem

8. Examples of Psychological Content in Curriculum • In required course:Social Learning Theory,Theory of Planned Behavior,Social Cognition, Social Support • Inelective course: emotions, coping and health, self-esteem, stereotyping, altruism and civility,health professional-patient interaction

9. Role/Rationale • PhD students must take 10 credits of advanced social/behavioral sciences from: • anthropology • sociology • psychology or • departmental courses in Health Disparities and Advanced Psychological Theory. • I teach the latter

10. Challenges in Teaching Psychology • Highly variable prior preparation • Hostility toward research and theory • Lumping the world by disease categories rather than concepts • Demonstrating relevance • Huge scope of problems individual students want to address – multiple levels

11. Interdisciplinary Collaboration • Hallmark of public health • Within public health disciplines • With medicine • With social sciences • Centers • Joint appointments

12. Opportunities and Barriers • Extensive opportunities and few barriers • School of Public Health Dean trained in health behavior and a champion of behavioral principles and theories • Excellent relationships with colleagues in psychology, including social, clinical, and quantitative

13. Preparing for the Future • NIH is a major source of funding for psychological research • Addressing health problems is typically a multi-level enterprise • Methods, theories, and approaches from psychology play a critical role • Psychology should acknowledge and engage these challenges