Professionally, I am Board Certified in Clinical Health Psychology, and have worked in integrated care throughout my career in multiple contexts including a medical school, hospital, co-location in a physician’s office, and in my own independent practice (since 1994). I work primarily with patients with chronic medical conditions, providing evidence-based psychotherapy and psychological evaluations, to assist them in managing their chronic medical condition and live the most productive life possible given their health challenges. I believe treatment guidelines are important, but must take into account patient variables, such as SES, race, ethnicity, and gender. My referrals come from multiple sources: physicians, case managers, attorneys and self-referrals. I am on most insurance panels, including Medicare, as it is my belief that ALL patients should have access to adequate medical and mental health care.
While in graduate school my research focused on health challenges in men, primarily high blood pressure in Black males. I knew there was a relationship between stress and increases in blood pressure, and my research focused on this.
Thesis title: The effects of induced stress on blood pressure reactivity as a function of race and present life situation, 1984.
Dissertation title: The effectiveness of relaxation and pulse wave velocity biofeedback as methods of reducing cardiovascular responsiveness to stressful stimuli, 1987.
I believe there are multiple challenges facing psychology in the changing healthcare environment that we must address if we are to be a leader in healthcare and the biggest overarching challenge is health disparities. Disparities in healthcare services, research, and education and training are primarily affecting those in low SES, marginalized racial and ethnic groups, and women and children. As an association, APA needs to prioritize adequate funding for research to better understand the biological, psychological, and social factors that impact on health and wellbeing, ensure appropriately accredited education and training in health psychology to have a competent workforce to address challenges across the lifespan of individuals, and adequate and appropriate reimbursement for the services we provide. All areas hold equal importance within this ever changing and challenging health care environment.
If we successfully grow and nurture our advocacy network, we can make a real difference in the world, including understanding and intervening in the social issues that affect our society, such as the opioid epidemic and homelessness.