My name is Louise Langdon and my natural curiosity has fueled both my personal and career development. Like many Australians, I grew up with a desire see the world and at 21, I left home to spend two years working as an administrative assistant in the Australian Embassy in Algeria. This experience offered valuable insight into a fascinating Islamic country but it was also a sobering reminder of Third World health problems, such as malnutrition and tuberculosis.

Around this time, my mother became very ill with an autoimmune condition known as scleroderma. Physicians provided only a gloomy outlook, so after returning to Australia from Algeria, I tried to understand this mysterious autoimmune disease by poring over medical textbooks and journals. Alas, my mother died shortly afterwards of ovarian cancer, but her suffering left a profound impression on me. It was probably my first introduction to the biopsychosocial health model, which maintains that wellbeing is a product of our genetics, beliefs, culture, choices, and behavior. I am certain my mother’s poor health was the outcome of a complex interaction of factors and this kindled my lifelong obsession with understanding the foundations of good health.

I returned to university and immersed myself in courses in anthropology, psychology, and politics. My father, a former journalist and huge source of inspiration, suggested taking some communications subjects. Excited by the both the subject matter and the potential to apply my writing and research skills, I changed my major to broadcast journalism and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1987.

Thus began my 20-year career in television, beginning as a researcher and progressing to associate producer on news, lifestyle, and documentary programs. I  had the privilege to explore topics like eating disorders and body image, alcohol-related violence, children’s perceptions of divorce, the challenges facing gay adolescents, health ‘myths’, hormone replacement therapy, and cultural taboos. It was challenging to bear part of the responsibility of presenting reliable and accurate information to a captive audience.

I now hope to make a more tangible contribution to the behavioral sciences, both academically and as a future health psychologist.  My ultimate professional interests lie in promoting health behavior, understanding the mind-body connection, and providing interventions for chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and scleroderma.

I am in the final year of a Master of Science degree in Clinical Health Psychology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.  The field of health psychology has vast potential, and I am excited about what the future holds.