Tamara Sher

Tamara Sher, PhD, is a prominent Associate Professor and Director of the Clinical Psychology Program in the Institute of Psychology at Illinois Institute of Technology, and a leading researcher in the fields of Behavioral Medicine (Health Psychology) and Couples Therapy (Marital Therapy). Her recent $2.4 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) combines both of these fields in a study measuring the benefits of couples' involvement in cardiac treatment. Dr. Sher's research has been mentioned in Psychology Today, on Chicago Public Radio, and several leading psychology journals.

Description of Research
The goal of Dr. Sher's NIH grant was to determine if improvement in a couples interpersonal relationship would result in sustained changes in health behavior, improvement in the couples quality of life, and health benefits specific to the cardiac patient. Working out of labs at both the Illinois Institute of Technology and Rush University Hospital, Dr. Sher's team recruited 94 couples in which one member suffered from cardiac illness. Using a couples intervention strategy designed to optimize relationships and reduce interpersonal stress, the team focused on three areas of change: exercise, weight management, and compliance with lipid-lowering medication. These areas were targeted because of the difficultly many cardiac patients face in maintaining long-term commitments to change.

Currently, Dr. Sher is interested in applying what she has learned from previous work to a much wider population of patients through the use of the Internet and telephone. She is particularly interested in reaching patients who do not have the time or resources to participate in intensive out-patient groups.

Selected Publications
[http://www.amazon.ca/dp/1557986495 Schmaling, K.B., & Sher, T.G. (Eds.) (2000). The Psychology of Couples and Illness. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Books.]

Couples and Illness with Tamara Goldman Sher, PhD