Tamara Goldman Sher is a native of Chicago's suburbs who lives with her husband and two daughters in suburban Cook county. She is the sister of Abigail Helaine Goldman,[11]Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist for the LA Times,[12] and Josh Goldman, an entrepreneur, investor, and venture capitalist who is currently a partner at Norwest Venture Partners in Palo Alto, California.[13]
Sher earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1989) and B.A. from the University of Michigan (1984).[3] After completing her internship training at Rush University Medical Center she spent seven years on medical school faculty where she became head of the health psychology track of the internship program and director of the Couples and Health program.[1] In 1994, Dr. Sher moved to the College of Psychology at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), where she taught for 17 years. In 2007 she became director of clinical training for the College of Psychology. In 2011, Sher left IIT as a full professor to join The Family Institute at Northwestern University as their vice president for research.[1]
In 2000, Sher co-authored (with K. B. Schmaling) a textbook entitled "The Psychology of Couples and Illness." She belongs to several professional societies including the American Psychological Association (APA),[14] the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT),[15] and the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM).[16] Sher is regularly invited as a symposium discussant and presentation author to each of these professional societies annual conferences.[15][17][18] In addition, she is on the editorial board of the APA Journal of Family Psychology,[14] a member of the National Institute of Health's Behavior Change Consortium,[4] and sits on the Clinical Oversight Committee for the Cancer Wellness Center.[19]
Research description
The goal of Sher's NIH grant was to determine if improvement in a couple's interpersonal relationship would result in sustained changes in health behavior, improvement in the couple's 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, Sher's team recruited 160 participants (approximately 35% minorities, 30% women) in which one member suffered from a cardiovascular event (e.g., myocardial infarction, bypass graft surgery, angioplasty). Using a short term 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 difficulty many cardiac patients face in maintaining long-term commitments to change.[2][4]
Currently, 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.
Interviews
BNET Sher discusses the difficulty of telling a new romantic relation about a preexisting STD
Chicago Tribune Sher discusses her NIH funded study for the Chicago Tribune
Psychology Today Sher discusses difficulties in doctor/patient communication based on her research findings
Selected works and publications
Books
Osterman, G. P.; Sher, T. G.; Hales, G.; Canar, W. J.; Singla, R.; & Tilton, T. (2003). Physical Illness. In D. K. Snider & M. A. Whisman (Eds.), Treating Difficult Couples: Helping Clients with Coexisting Mental and Relationship Disorders (pp. 350–369). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Sher, T. G. (1996). Courtship and marriage: Choosing a primary relationship. In N. Vanzetti & S. Duck (Eds.), A lifetime of relationships (pp. 243–264). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Sher, T.G.; Halford, W.K. (2008). "Challenges and opportunities in public health perspectives on family interventions: introduction to the special section". Journal of Family Psychology. 22 (4): 495–6. doi:10.1037/a0012552. PMID18729663.
Tamara Goldman Sher and Donald H. Baucom (2001). "Mending a broken heart: A couples approach to cardiac risk reduction". Applied and Preventive Psychology. 10 (2): 125–133.
Sher, T. G.; Cella, D.; Leslie, W. T.; Bonomi, P.; Taylor IV, S. G; Serafian, B. (1997). "Communication Differences Between Physicians and Their Patients in an Oncology Setting". Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. 04 (3): 281–293. doi:10.1023/A:1026285315454. S2CID19973187.
Sher, T. G.; Schmaling, K. B. (1997). "Intimate Relationships and Health: Research and Practice". Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. 04 (4): 359–360. doi:10.1023/A:1026232100797. S2CID34394994.
Sayers, S. L.; Baucom, D. H.; Sher, T. G.; Weiss, R. L.; et al. (1991). Behavioral Assessment. 13 (1): 25–49. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
Sher, T. G.; Weiss, R. L. (1991). "Negativity in marital communication: Where's the beef?". Behavioral Assessment. 13 (1): 1–5.
Baucom, D.H.; Sayers, S.L.; Sher, T.G. (1990). "Supplementing behavioral marital therapy with cognitive restructuring and emotional expressiveness training: an outcome investigation". Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 58 (5): 636–45. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.58.5.636. PMID2254512.
Sher, T. G.; Baucom, D. H.; Larus, J. M. (1990). "Communication patterns and response to treatment among depressed and nondepressed maritally distressed couples". Journal of Family Psychology. 4 (1): 63–79. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.4.1.63.
Baucom, D.H.; Epstein, N.; Sayers, S.; Sher, T.G. (1989). "The role of cognitions in marital relationships: definitional, methodological, and conceptual issues". Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 57 (1): 31–8. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.57.1.31. PMID2647801.
^Sher, T.G.; Halford, W.K. (2008). "Challenges and opportunities in public health perspectives on family interventions: introduction to the special section". Journal of Family Psychology. 22 (4): 495–6. doi:10.1037/a0012552. PMID18729663.
^Levin, Jennifer B.; Sher, Tamara Goldman; Theodos, Violet (1997). "The Effect of Intracouple Coping Concordance on Psychological and Marital Distress in Infertility Patients". Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. 4 (4): 361–372. doi:10.1023/A:1026249317635. S2CID40817582.
^Sher, Tamara G; Baucom, D. H; Larus, J. M (1990). "Communication patterns and response to treatment among depressed and nondepressed maritally distressed couples". Journal of Family Psychology. 4 (1): 63–79. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.4.1.63.
^"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-12-20. Retrieved 2008-12-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) NVP biography page for Josh Goldman
^ ab[8] Listed on the editorial board for the APA Journal of Family Psychology
^ ab"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2008-11-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Listed under program committee on page 8 and symposium panelist on page 193, as well as authorship on several other presentations
