behavior over the long haul. Nevertheless, health psy-
chology most assuredly deserves our enthusiasm as
well as our caution (Keefe, Buffington, Studts, &
Rumble, 2002). Many people are optimistic about
the future of health psychology, given the pressing
demands of improved health care.enhance coping skills in patients with early-stage can-
cer and their partners. I also have been interested in
issues of culture and ethnicity, which I investigate
through research with diverse populations in the
United States. In addition, I recently have begun to
conduct research in Rwanda with survivors of the 1994
Rwandan Tutsi genocide.What are the future trends you see for clinical
psychology?
I believe that the most exciting possibilities for the
future of clinical psychology lie in our expertise as
clinical researchers. Clinical psychologists are involved
in broadening the traditional boundaries of research
and expanding methodologies to address a wide range
of clinically relevant questions. We will be called upon
to design research that is responsive to societal needs,
as well as being firmly based on sound theory and
methodology. Because research is a transportable skill,
research activities can be housed in community settings
through establishing scientist-community links both
locally and internationally. I also expect that clinical
psychologists will need to defend their role as service
providers, in light of increasing demands to document
those areas in which Ph.D.-level training is essential to
optimal performance. Psychologists with doctoral
degrees might be called on to develop effective treat-
ments and psychometrically sound assessment tools to
determine which treatments are best suited for which
individuals. Cost-effectiveness will need to be taken
into account in a variety of clinical domains.What are some future trends you see in health
psychology?
Health psychology and behavioral medicine are rela-
tively new fields of study. As such, the field is wide open
for development in numerous exciting directions. For
example, we are learning a lot about the importance of
psychological factors in causing illness, through the
impact of stress and isolation on immunologic and hor-
monal functioning. In addition, health psychologists
should continue to develop theories and interventions
designed to increase healthy behaviors and decreaserisky behaviors. After all, much of the premature death
in industrial countries is related to individual failure to
adopt guidelines for healthy living. Research in both of
these areas needs to be extended to underserved
populations, with a focus on identifying the role of cul-
ture in influencing health and quality-of-life outcomes.
Research on culture also should include investiga-
tion of the culture of the health care system and of ways
to make health care more“user-friendly”for patients
and their families. A comprehensive understanding will
require considering health-related behaviors and quality
of life within the context of the individual’s ongoing life,
rather than as separate and isolated domains. With this
information, psychologists can continue to develop
novel approaches to primary, secondary, and tertiary
prevention. I anticipate that as researchers develop
behavioral and psychosocial interventions that are
effective and easily integrated into ongoing health care
delivery, these interventions will gradually become
components of standard care. To the extent that psy-
chologists can demonstrate the money-saving benefits
of health psychology and behavioral medicine, insurers
will be more likely to reimburse for such services.Beth E. MeyerowitzDr. Beth E. Meyerowitz, Psych Dept., Univ. of Southern CAHEALTH PSYCHOLOGY ANDBEHAVIORAL MEDICINE 509