University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of the numerous, multifaceted interactions among the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. These interactions play a significant role in controlling many of the physiological processes within the body as well as contributing to a variety of disease states. I chose the book Psychoneuroimmunology, 3rd Edition because it provides a comprehensive compilation of the research findings that support this burgeoning field of biology. Unfortunately, many of these interactions, and their impact on human health and disease, are not appreciated or even addressed in undergraduate courses related to disciplines such as neuroscience, physiology, psychology, and immunology, to name a few. It is my hope that the teaching of nervous-endocrine-immune interactions, in a variety of academic disciplines and settings, will someday be widespread. Such teaching will allow students of biology to not only recognize and understand the substantial level of cellular and molecular integration that exists within one’s body but also to realize that this integration is greatly affected by the environment in which one lives. (Note: The 4th edition of Psychoneuroimmunology will be published in Fall 2006.)