Faculty Profile

Scott Roberts

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

Dr. Roberts co-directs an NIH-funded R01 project focused on the ethical, legal, social, and policy implications of genetic testing in the workplace. This project assesses employee knowledge, attitudes, and experiences regarding health-related genetic testing within workplace wellness programs. https://www.jax.org/research-and-faculty/resources/workplace-genomic-testing

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

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/

Charnysh E, Pal S, Reader JM…Roberts JS. (2024). Healthcare utilization and behavior changes following workplace genetic testing at a large U.S. healthcare system. Genetics in Medicine, 26(8), 101160. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38733246/

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, Ferber R, Blacker D, Rumbaugh M, Grill JD. (2021, Oct 14). Return of research results at federally funded Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers. Alzheimer's and Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions, 7(1):e12213. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34692986/ 

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: jscottr@umich.edu 
Phone: 734-936-9854
Address: 2834 SPH I
1415 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

For media inquiries: sph.media@umich.edu 

Areas of Expertise: Aging,  Genetics,  Health Communication,  Mental Health,  Precision Health