Health Psychology

REGAN A. R. GURUNG is Professor of Psychology and the Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Oregon State University. Born and raised in Bombay, India, Dr. Gurung received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology at Carleton College (Minnesota) and Master of Science (MS) and doctoral (PhD) degrees in social and personality psychology at the University of Washington (Washington State). He followed with 3 years at the University of California, Los Angeles, as a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) research fellow. His early work focused on social support and close relationships; he studied how perceptions of support from close others influence relationship satisfaction. His later work investigated cultural differences in coping with stressors such as HIV infection, pregnancy, and smoking cessation. He continues to explore cultural differences in health and is heavily involved in pedagogical research directed toward improving teaching and student learning. He has received numerous local, state, and national grants for his research in health psychology and social psychology regarding cultural differences in stress, social support, smoking cessation, body image, and impression formation. He has published articles in a variety of scholarly journals, including the American Psychologist, Psychological Review, and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of fifteen other books including Study Like a Champ (with John Dunlosky), the Handbook of Health Psychology (2019, with Tracey Revenson), a two-volume Multicultural Approaches to Health and Wellness in America (2014), Easyguide to APA [American Psychological Association] Style (2017, with Eric Landrum and Beth Schwartz), and Everyday Applications of Psychological Science (with Eric Landrum, Dana Dunn, Maureen McCarthy, and Susan Nolan). Dr. Gurung is also a dedicated teacher and has interests in enhancing faculty development and student understanding. In 2017 he won the American Psychological Foundation’s prestigious Charles L. Brewer Award for Distinguished Teaching in Psychology. He also has won the Carnegie Association’s Wisconsin Professor of the Year (2010), the UW System Regent’s Teaching Award (2011), the UW–Green Bay Founder’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Excellence in Scholarship, and the UW Teaching at Its Best, Creative Teaching, and Featured Faculty awards. He has organized statewide and national teaching conferences and is an active member and past president of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (American Psychological Association [APA]-Division 2). He is an elected fellow of the American Psychological Association and Association for Psychological Science and past president of the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology. When not reading, writing, or helping people stay calm, Regan enjoys culinary explorations, travel, and immersing himself in his son’s and daughter’s latest pursuits.

Chapter 1. What Is Health? Cultural and Historical Roots
Chapter 2. Doing Health Psychology: Research Methods
Chapter 3. Cultural Approaches to Health - Deepti Karkhanis
Chapter 4. Essential Physiology
Chapter 5. Diverse Understandings of Stress - Deepti Karkhanis
Chapter 6. Coping and Social Support - Deepti Karkhanis
Chapter 7. Why Don’t We Do What We Need To? Models of Behavior Change - Amanda ElBassiouny
Chapter 8. Health Behaviors: Eating, Being Active, Smoking, and Drinking - Aurora Sherman
Chapter 9. Illness Cognitions, Adherence, and Patient–Practitioner Interactions - Amanda ElBassiouny
Chapter 10. Diverse Approaches to Pain - Amanda ElBassiouny
Chapter 11. Chronic Illness, Terminal Illness, and Death - Kathleen Bogart
Chapter 12. Psychoneuroimmunology and HIV - Melissa Oxlad
Chapter 13. Cancer: Fundamentals and Cultural Variations - Melissa Oxlad
Chapter 14. Cardiovascular Disease: Fundamentals and Cultural Variations - Melissa Oxlad
Chapter 15. Controversies and the Future of Health Psychology