CMU Psychology Training Faculty:
Margaret Clark (Interpersonal Relationships and Health)
Sheldon Cohen (Psychoneuroimmunology, Stress and Social Support)
Brooke Feeney (Social Support, Caregiving)
Vicki Helgeson (Adjustment to Chronic Disease; Diabetes Control)
Roberta Klatzky (Decision Making)
Michael Scheier (Personality and Health; Adjustment to Chronic Disease)

There are also collaborating faculty from CMU Decision and Social Sciences
(Robyn Dawes, B. Fischoff); Department and the University of Pittsburgh Department
of Psychology and Medical School (A. Baum, Tom Kamarck, Stephen Manuck,
Karen Matthews, R. Schulz).

Content Areas:
All trainees are expected to establish competence in research methods and the major
theoretical and empirical literatures in health psychology, and in at least two of four
health psychology specialty areas.  Courses are available in all of these areas, but
we expect that formal and informal interactions with faculty and other trainees and
research experiences contribute substantially to the development of expertise.

Basic Skill and Content Areas Required of All Trainees:

(1) Research methods, psychometrics, and statistics, whereby the basic skills
necessary for conducting research and for drawing valid inferences from empirical
data are developed.

(2) Health Psychology, providing an understanding of the major theoretical
approaches and empirical results in the field.  This includes coverage of both
psychological and biological issues and overviews of all of the specialty areas
described below.

Special areas; Two of the Following are Required of Each Trainee:

(1) Psychosocial processes and disease, providing an understanding of the
theoretical and empirical issues in studying the role of psychological, social and
behavioral factors influencing the etiology, progression, recovery from, and
adjustment to physical illness. We place a special emphasis on the study of
psychiatric-physical co-morbidity. This includes studies of the influence of
depression and affect regulation on the function of biological systems, influence
of chronic physical disease (cancer, heart disease) on mental health, as well as
biological bases for co-morbidity.  We also emphasize studies of the role of social
and psychological risk factors in affective disregulation.

(2) Medical decision making, applying decision theory and the psychology of
human decisions to medical decision making.  This includes addressing the role
of individual differences, decision heuristics, problem presentation and context,
in understanding decisions relating to high-risk behaviors, preventive health behaviors,
symptom recognition and presentation, and health care utilization. 

(3) Psychophysiology, through which an understanding is established of the
biological (e.g., endocrine, cardiovascular, immune) pathways through which
psychosocial factors might influence disease in the healthy human, the distributions
of diseases in human populations, and principles of pathophysiology of autoimmune,
cardiovascular, and infectious diseases, cancer, and allergies.

(4). Psychosocial interventions, addressing the clinical issues involved in designing
and conducting psychosocial interventions, including training in principles of behavior
and behavioral change with a focus on theoretical approaches to intervention design.
There is a major emphasis in our program on the design of interpersonal
(social support) interventions in relation to adjustment of chronic physical illness.

Applications
Post-doctoral (M.D.s or Ph.D.s) candidates can send their applications to:

 Post-Doctoral Training Program in Health Psychology
 Department of Psychology
 Carnegie Mellon University
 Pittsburgh, PA 15213

We accept post-doctoral applications at any time during the year, but those
received by March 1 will receive priority treatment.  Post-doctoral applicants should
include a vita, and a statement summarizing their relevant research experiences and
addressing their interests in Health Psychology.  They should also have three
letters of recommendation sent to the same address.

MS WORD VERSION