Behavioral Medicine
Behavioral Medicine is a newly developed and important area of research, teaching, and clinical practice. The emergence
of Behavioral Medicine as a critical discipline for worldwide health is founded on the confluence of several factors. First,
changing patterns of mortality and morbidity forced the recognition among researchers, practitioners, and social policy planners
that behavior is a primary determinant of death and disease. Second, conceptual advances that emerged from empirical research
gave rise to plausible theories of how psychological factors, behavior, and physiological processes can interact to produce
both positive and negative health states. Third, technological advances continue to permit enhanced measurement of biobehavioral
processes. Finally, empirically supported interventions targeting biobehavioral disorders (e.g., cognitive-behavioral treatments
for headache, pain, insomnia, movement disorders, psychophysiological disorders) have been recently developed, refined, and
published.
A student who wishes to pursue a career in Behavioral Medicine will need to acquire a broad range of knowledge and practical
skills in: Psychological and behavioral assessment, psychophysiology, clinical research methods, statistics, the design and
implementation of empirically supported interventions, and biomedical practice (e.g. familiarity with basic anatomy and physiology,
pharmacology, medical interventions, and the organizational structure of medical environments). Envisioning the need for developing
a specialization in Behavioral Medicine, we created a training program that is designed to graduate scientist-practitioners
who will contribute to the public well-being through active research, teaching, and clinical service. The central components
of this training program are outlined below.
Concentrating in Behavioral Medicine
The Behavioral Medicine specialization is offered to students accepted into the APA-approved clinical training program in
the Department of Psychology at Bowling Green State University. Graduate students wishing to specialize in Behavioral Medicine must complete all of the standard requirements for receiving
a Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology at BGSU. Additionally, they must:
- conduct a research project (Master's Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation) that tests biobehavioral hypotheses,
- participate in the Behavioral Medicine research group for at least one year,
- complete a one year clinical externship in a Behavioral Medicine setting,
- complete advanced assessment, therapy, and research seminars in Behavioral Medicine or a closely related area, and
- complete a one year predoctoral internship that offers a substantive training in the area.
Concentration Coordinator: - William O'Brien Ph. D., ABPP.
Core Faculty Members:
- Robert Carels, Ph. D.
- William H. O'Brien, Ph. D.
- Harold Rosenberg, Ph.D.
Lab Websites:
-Healthy Living Research Group
-Mindful Behavior Therapies and Psychophysiology Lab
|
