Research Interests
Dr. Birmingham's research is guided by previous research indicating that the quality and quantity of one’s social relationships are linked to lower morbidity and mortality and protect against the adverse effect of stress. Her research focuses on two pathways linking relationship quality and quantity to health outcomes: physiological pathways and behavioral pathways. She is interested in how marital relationship quality and family processes can impact blood pressure, a predictor of cardiovascular disease risk. In terms of examining behavioral pathways, Dr. Birmingham is interested in how relationship processes such as relationship quality, familial support and influence, spousal support and influence, and patient-provider influence can impact behaviors such as cancer screening adherence (e.g., HPV vaccination adherence, colorectal cancer screening adherence, mammography adherence), and diet and lifestyle choices, specifically in individuals who are at increased risk for cancer due to a family history.
See professor Wendy Birmingham's website here.
Professor Wendy Birmingham's lab page can be found here.