Health | Cross-Area Emphasis

Program Overview

Students specializing in Health Psychology have a primary affiliation with one of the four core areas (Clinical, CNS, Developmental, or Social), but pursue coursework and research that is specifically designed to train them for a career in health-related research. A unique strength of our Health program is its interdisciplinary focus, which supplements the training a student receives in his/her core area with cutting-edge interdisciplinary coursework, methodological training, and research opportunities. The Department of Psychology has had a specialization in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine for over 20 years. This specialization is intended to train psychologists who are experts at integrating psychological knowledge with current biomedical information about health and illness. This includes understanding psychological processes involved in how people stay healthy, why they become sick, and how they respond when they do become sick. Clinical students pursuing this specialization also gain extensive training and experience in applying this knowledge in the provision of psychological services to medical patients and consulting with health care professionals.

Practical Application & Emphasis Requirements 

One of the strengths of the health psychology specialization at the University of Utah is that it is a highly collaborative endeavor among faculty who have expertise in different areas of psychology (primarily clinical, developmental, and social). As a result, students gain a broad and integrative perspective on the psychology of health and illness. In addition, research and clinical training utilizes a variety of sites within the University of Utah Medical Center, Primary Children's Hospital, Huntsman Cancer Institute, and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. In these settings, students work closely with clinical health psychologists, physicians and other health care professionals. Students in any of the four Ph.D. tracks (clinical, cognition and neural science, developmental, social) can pursue a specialization in Health Psychology. Students who pursue this cross-area specialization work under the supervision of a core health faculty member and complete all requirements of their home area in addition to coursework and research in health psychology. To complete the Health cross-area emphasis, students are expected to

1. Regularly attend the Behavioral Medicine Research Group
2. Take at least two graduate health-focused seminars. Clinical Health students are expected to take the year-long Foundations in Clinical Health Psychology course;
3. Participate in health psychology focused research, broadly speaking;
4. Clinical Health students are expected to complete at least one health-focused clinical traineeship, as well as a pre-doctoral internship with a significant health/behavioral medicine emphasis.

 

Core Health Psychology Faculty

• Lisa G. Aspinwall
• Katie Baucom
• Cynthia Berg
• LillyBelle Deer
• Lisa Diamond
• Timothy W. Smith
• Bert N. Uchino
• Paula G. Williams

 

Affiliated Faculty

• Jonathan Butner
• Kimberly Bowen
• Bruce Ellis
• Jeanine Stefanucci

 

Where are some of our former graduate students now?

• Alan Christensen, Ph.D. Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology, Eastern Carolina  University
• Matthew Cribbett, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, The University of Alabama
• Jennifer Cundiff, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, The University of Alabama
• Christopher Fagundes, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Rice University
• Linda Gallo, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University
• Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Brigham Young University
• Kelly Ko, Vice President, Technology Ventures and Innovation, Banner Health
• John Ruiz, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, University of Arizona
• Jennifer Taber, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University