Faculty Profile
Scott Roberts, PhD (he/him)
- Professor, Health Behavior and Health Equity
- Associate Director, National Poll on Healthy Aging
- Co-Director, Dual Degree Program in Public Health and Genetic Counseling
Dr. Roberts’ current research focuses on 1) promoting healthy aging among older adults, and 2) addressing the ethical, legal, and social implications of advances in genetics and genomics. Regarding the former, Dr. Roberts’ interests include mental health and aging, promoting brain health and reducing risk for dementia, and providing education and support to individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Regarding the latter, Dr. Roberts’ interests include ethical and psychosocial issues involved in disclosing genetic test information. Within this area, he has examined participants' motivations and interests in genetic testing and the psychological and behavioral impact of providing test results; such work has addressed genetic testing in contexts including Alzheimer's disease, hereditary cancer syndromes, direct-to-consumer genetic testing, and workplace wellness programs.
- PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of Michigan, 1999
- BA, English, Duke University, 1992
Research Interests:
Ethical, legal, and social implications of genetics and genomics; psychological and
behavioral impact of genetic testing; public health ethics; mental health and aging;
brain health promotion; education and support for individuals and families affected
by Alzheimer’s disease
Research Projects:
Dr. Roberts serves as Associate Director of the National Poll on Healthy Aging (NPHA),
a recurring biannual survey of a large, nationally representative sample of US adults
aged 50 and older. https://www.healthyagingpoll.org
Within the NIH-funded Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Dr. Roberts leads
its Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core. In this role he provides community
education about AD and related dementias and promotes participation in Center-sponsored
research studies. https://alzheimers.med.umich.edu
Roberts JS, Uhlmann WR, Blasco D, et al. (2025). Employee perspectives on genetic
testing in the workplace: Results from a national survey. Public Health Genomics, 28(1), 278-86. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40931502/
Cox CG, Kirch M, Kullgren JT, Singer D, Solway E, Malani PN, Roberts JS (2025). Older
U.S. adults' experiences with cognitive screening and blood biomarker testing for
Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, 17(1):e70067. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39822297/
Blasco D, Roberts JS (2023). Implications of emerging uses of genetic testing for Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, 10, 359-61. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37357275/
Roberts JS, Ferber RA, Funk CN, Harrington AW, Maixner SM, Porte JL, Schissler P, Votta CM, Deldin PJ, Connell CM. (2022). Mood Lifters for Seniors: Development and evaluation of an online, peer-led mental health program for older adults. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine. doi.org/10.1177/2F23337214221117431 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35966640/
Roberts JS, Patterson A, Uhlmann W (2020). Genetic testing for neurodegenerative diseases: Ethical and health communication challenges. Neurobiology of Disease, 141.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32302673/
Roberts JS. (2019). Assessing the psychological impact of genetic susceptibility testing. Hastings Center Report, 49, S38-S43. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31268575/
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 734-936-9854
Address: 2834 SPH I
1415 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
For media inquiries: [email protected]
Areas of Expertise: Aging, Genetics, Health Communication, Mental Health, Precision Health