Expanding the Boundaries of Health and Social Science

Case Studies in Interdisciplinary Innovation

Edited by Frank Kessel, Patricia Rosenfield, and Norman Anderson

Expanding the Boundaries of Health and Social Science

Case Studies in Interdisciplinary Innovation

Edited by Frank Kessel, Patricia Rosenfield, and Norman Anderson

Description

It is now widely recognized that research on human health requires more than a focus on human biology and disease entities. Lifestyles, attitudes, stress, education, income--all are now understood to contribute to the spread of disease, the effectiveness of curative therapies, and the prevention of illness, as well as to good health and an enhanced sense of well-being. However, despite such developments and the rise of interdisciplinary research, there is still considerable debate about how best to conduct research and shape policies that insightfully integrate concepts and methods drawn from the full range of the health, social, and behavioral sciences. Moreover, scholars and researchers who wish to engage in such interdisciplinary inquiry have no texts that serve as substantive and practical guides to the most effective avenues.

This volume fills this unfortunate gap by presenting a series of case studies that provide a variety of illustrative models of how best to undertake interdisciplinary research on health. All the authors have successfully carried out innovative, collaborative research programs; they give compelling accounts of the benefits of interdisciplinary research, and the central strategies required for successfully achieving such benefits. This volume will be an invaluable resource for scholars and scientists, as well as for decision-makers in academic settings, foundations, and government agencies seeking to develop and promote interdisciplinary programs that expand the boundaries of research dedicated to improving human health and well-being.

Expanding the Boundaries of Health and Social Science

Case Studies in Interdisciplinary Innovation

Edited by Frank Kessel, Patricia Rosenfield, and Norman Anderson

Foreword, Craig Calhoun and Cora Marrett
Contributors
Introduction: Approaching Interdisciplinary Research, John W. Rowe
PART I: HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: THE SOCIAL WORLD AND CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH AND DISEASE
1. Domain Introduction, John T. Cacioppo
2. A Contemporary Perspective on Multilevel Analyses and Social Neuroscience, Gary G. Berntson and John T. Cacioppo
3. Risk of Hypertensive Heart Disease: The Joint Influence of Genetic and Behavioral Factors, Kathleen C. Light, Susan S. Girdler, and Alan L. Hinderliter
4. Status, Strees, and Heart Disease: a Monkey's Tale, Jay R. Kaplan and Stephen B. Manuck
PART II: MIND MATTERS: AFFECTIVE AND COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
5. Domain Introduction, Richard J. Davidson
6. Affective Neuroscience: a Case for Interdisciplinary Research, Richard J. Davidson
7. Visual Mental Imagery: a Case Study in Interdisciplinary Research, S. M. Kosslyn
8. Plasticity and Health: Social Influences on Gene Expression and Neural Development, Michael J. Meaney
PART III: POSITIVE HEALTH: WHAT NOURISHES WHO FLOURISHES?
9. Domain Introduction, Carol D. Ryff
10. Thriving in the Face of Challenge: the Integrative Science of Human Resilience, Carol D. Ryff and Burton Singer
11. Integrating Psychosocial Factors with Biology: the Role of Protective Factors in Trajectories of Health and Aging, Teresa E. Seeman
12. Religion, Spirituality, and Health: the Duke Experience, Linda K. George
PART IV: IN SEARCH OF METHUSELAH: POPULATION PERSPECTIVES ON HEALTH AND LONGEVITY
13. Domain Introduction, Linda Waite
14. Social Resources and Health, Michael Marmot
15. A Journey through the Interdisciplinary Landscape of Biodemography, S. Jay Olshansky and Bruce A. Carnes
PART V: A TALE OF TWO CITIES: PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF HIV/AIDS
16. Domain Introduction, Neil Schneiderman
17. Learning to Cope with HIV/AIDS, Neil Schneiderman and Michael Antoni
18. The Evolution of HIV Prevention in San Francisco: a Multidisciplinary Model, Margaret A. Chesney and Thomas J. Coates
Closing Commentary: Fostering Interdisciplinary Research: the Way Forward, Patricia L. Rosenfield and Frank Kessel
Index

Expanding the Boundaries of Health and Social Science

Case Studies in Interdisciplinary Innovation

Edited by Frank Kessel, Patricia Rosenfield, and Norman Anderson

Reviews and Awards

"Fills a gap in the academic and practice literature. Its interdisciplinary nature is highly attractive. Prevents professional Myopia. Helps remind us that great practitioners can be terrible teachers. Every issue contains at least one useful idea. In today's publishing world that is a major accomplishment. --Harris Chaiklin, Professor, University of Maryland at Baltimore

Interesting, informative, and motivationsal. The variety of subjects and perspectives . . . enhance my own latent interest in several areas of supervision and field instruction. . . . Excellent! -Donald R. Bardill, PhD, Professor, School of Social Work, Florida State University, Tallahassee

"Each of this welcome volume's case studies of successful interdisciplinary collaborations related to health is not only intrinsically interesting, but also illuminates how such research can be conducted."-- Steven E. Hyman, Provost, Harvard University, and former Director, National Institute of Mental Health

"Each of this welcome volume's case studies of successful interdisciplinary collaborations related to health is not only intrinsically interesting, but also illuminates how such research can be conducted."--Steven E. Hyman, Provost, Harvard University, and former Director, National Institute of Mental Health

In sum, this is a first-rate work with a first-rate message." --The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

"Many talk about the virtues of working across disciplines: this volume reveals how it can be accomplished."-Harvey V. Fineberg, President, the Institute of Medicine, the National Academies

"The book is likely to be of value not only to scientists but also to decision makers in universities, institutions, and funding agencies. The authors not only summarize interesting and important bodies of work, but also highlight bumps and directions along the winding road they took to achieve such success in their respective interdisciplinary fields."--Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

"For helpful work on interdisciplinary teaching and research specifically in the social sciences, I recommended [this book]."--Robert Axelrod, in his Presidential Address to the American Political Science Association