James A. Kulik is a professor of psychology at UCSD. Kulik studies social psychological principles as they bear on health-related issues, including health promotion, coping, emotion, emotional contagion, and medical care delivery. Of particular interest to him are issues relevant to social comparison processes, social support, and stress and affiliation relationships in acute threat situations, e.g. surgical settings. Recently, he has begun to explore the neural underpinnings of emotion. Many of his publications examine the role that various types of social support play in patient recovery rates. Other publications along these lines have focused on the role that informational videotapes and other sources of information play in enhancing patient recovery from major surgical procedures such as coronary bypass surgery. Kulik joined the UCSD Department of Psychology in 1980 after receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard University in social psychology.