Patricia Rosenfield – författare

It is now widely recognized that research on human health requires more than a focus on human biology and disease entities. Lifestyles, attitudes, stress, education, income--all are now understood to contribute to the spread of disease, the effectiveness of curative therapies, and the prevention of illness, as well as to good health and an enhanced sense of well-being. However, despite such developments and the rise of interdisciplinary research, there is still considerable debate about how best to conduct research and shape policies that insightfully integrate concepts and methods drawn from the full range of the health, social, and behavioral sciences. Moreover, scholars and researchers who wish to engage in such interdisciplinary inquiry have no texts that serve as substantive and practical guides to the most effective avenues. This volume fills this unfortunate gap by presenting a series of case studies that provide a variety of illustrative models of how best to undertake interdisciplinary research on health. All the authors have successfully carried out innovative, collaborative research programs; they give compelling accounts of the benefits of interdisciplinary research, and the central strategies required for successfully achieving such benefits. This volume will be an invaluable resource for scholars and scientists, as well as for decision-makers in academic settings, foundations, and government agencies seeking to develop and promote interdisciplinary programs that expand the boundaries of research dedicated to improving human health and well-being.

Health Psychology, once subsumed under social psychology, has in recent years surpassed it to become one of the most dynamic, interesting areas in the field. One of the reasons for the rapid success of health psychology is that it provides an in-depth look at the influence of behaviour on the national obsessions of health and wellness. Health psychology has a wide scope, encompassing all influences on behaviour from emotion to overcrowded living situations. Because health psychology combines in-depth research in a variety of areas within the discipline, collaboration between these areas is especially important. Yet, health psychology faces a problem not uncommon to any highly interdisciplinary science: a lack of information on how to foster collaboration between areas.This unique volume will provide a solution to the problem of collaboration by articulating both the benefits of interdisciplinary exchange and the best strategies for working together. The contributors, including Richard Davidson, Michael Meaney, John Caccioppo, and Neil Schneiderman, have carried out the most innovative and successful collaborative research endeavors in major areas of health psychology. Their experience will provide much-needed guidance and inspiration for future collaborative research in the discipline. This volume will be of interest to researchers and students in health psychology, as well as to officers in universities, foundations, and government agencies seeking to develop programs that expand the boundaries of health psychology.

Interdisciplinary inquiry has begun to receive widespread attention because of the rich, creative contributions it often generates. But a host of factors, institutional, interpersonal and intellectual, also makes undertaking such research a daunting challenge for potential scientific partners. This volume is a practical guide to the most effective avenues for collaborative and integrative research in the social, behavioural, and biomedical sciences. What is the best way to conduct research programs in these areas? How do you identify appropriate collaborators? How do you find dedicated funding streams? How do you overcome peer-review and publishing challenges? This volume presents a series of case studies of successful interdisciplinary research programs, which provide a variety of models of how best to undertake interdisciplinary research in health and human science.