Susan Roberts-Dobie, Ph.D.

Susan Roberts-Dobie Vitae

Susan Roberts-Dobie, Ph.D., is a professor of public health and education at the University of Northern Iowa where she teaches the courses ‘Introduction to Public Health’ and  ‘Implementing Health Promotion Programs." She also teaches the Cornerstone and Capstone courses within UNI's Liberal Arts Core. Susan was the recipient of the 2006 UNI College of Education Excellence in Teaching Award, given each year to one faculty member exhibiting outstanding work with students in and out of the classroom, and the 2007 Veridian Community Engagement Award in recognition of her (and her students’) work to improve the health of the local community.

Roberts-Dobie received her Ph.D. in public health, focused on research methodology, from Oregon State University.  Prior to her work at Oregon State, Roberts-Dobie worked as a planning consultant for the Black Hawk County Health Department and as the teen pregnancy prevention coordinator for the YWCA of Black Hawk County. Her undergraduate degrees are from the UNI in health education (teaching) and Spanish.  As a UNI alum, she is truly Purple for Life!

Currently, Roberts-Dobie's lines of research are focused on health literacy and non-traditional delivery methods of health education.  Most recently, she ran a five-year research project utilizing hair stylists as lay health educators to deliver messages about contraception to clients as part of the Iowa Initiative to Reduce Unintended Pregnancies.  She is a member of the American Public Health Association, Iowa Public Health Association, the Society for Public Health Education and Eta Sigma Gamma.

Outside of her professional interests, Roberts-Dobie is an avid reader, loves to cook, and is the mother of two young boys.