Robbie Dembo, PhD | Morse Scholar Alumni
Morse Scholar Alumni 2020–2022
Current Position
Senior Research Scientist
NORC, University of Chicago
Contact
About
Robbie is a quantitative social scientist with expertise in developmental disabilities, maternal and child health, caregiving, social support, and social determinants of health.
Robbie is a senior research scientist whose research projects include analyses of policies that impact health disparities among underserved populations on behalf of the CMS Office of Minority Health and an assessment of health care programs serving children and families on behalf of the CMS Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services. Robbie also helps lead NORC’s interdepartmental Disability Research Working Group.
Robbie completed an NIH T32 postdoctoral fellowship training program in interdisciplinary research in intellectual and developmental disabilities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 2020 to 2022. Between 2016 and 2020, he was a researcher at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University. Earlier in his career, Robbie conducted social policy research in the Office of the Governor in the State of Illinois.
Robbie regularly presents his research at professional conferences, including AcademyHealth and American Public Health Association meetings. He has lead and collaborated on studies published in interdisciplinary journals, including Social Science & Medicine, Autism, the American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and Children and Youth Services Review. Robbie frequently serves as a peer referee for several academic journals.
Education
| 2011 | BA | Sociology, Judaic Studies | University of Michigan |
| 2016 | MS | Sociology | Indiana University Bloomington |
| 2018 | MS | Social Policy | Brandeis University |
| 2020 | PhD | Social Policy | Brandeis University |
| 2020–2022 | Morse Scholar | Major Professor: Leann Smith DaWalt, PhD | Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| 2020–2022 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Interdisciplinary Research in IDD | Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
In the News
Selected Publications
Hong, J., Dembo, R. S., DaWalt, L. S., Baker, M. W., Berry-Kravis, E., & Mailick, M. R. (2023). Mortality in Women across the FMR1 CGG Repeat Range: The Neuroprotective Effect of Higher Education. Cells, 12(17), 2137. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12172137
Dembo, R. S., Hong, J., DaWalt, L. S., Berry-Kravis, E. M., & Mailick, M. R. (2023). Health Effects of Sleep Quality in Premutation Carrier Mothers of Individuals With Fragile X Syndrome. American journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 128(3), 254–268. https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-128.3.254
Song, J., Dembo, R. S., Smith DaWalt, L., Ryff, C. D., & Mailick, M. R. (2023). Improving retention of diverse samples in longitudinal research on developmental disabilities. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 128(2), 164–175. https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-128.2.164
Dembo, R. S., Mailick, M. R., Rudolph, A. E., Huntington, N., DaWalt, L. S., & Mitra, M. (2023). Social network diversity and mental health among mothers of individuals with autism. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 128(2), 101–118. https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-128.2.101
Hong, J., Dembo, R. S., DaWalt, L. S., Brilliant, M., Berry-Kravis, E. M., & Mailick, M. (2022). The effect of college degree attainment on neurodegenerative symptoms in genetically at-risk women. SSM – population health, 19, 101262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101262
Dembo, R. S., LaFleur, J., Akobirshoev, I., Dooley, D. P., Batra, N., & Mitra, M. (2022). Racial/ethnic health disparities among children with special health care needs in Boston, Massachusetts. Disability and health journal, 15(3), 101316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2022.101316
Dembo, R. S., Huntington, N., Mitra, M., Rudolph, A. E., Lachman, M. E., & Mailick, M. R. (2022). Social network typology and health among parents of children with developmental disabilities: Results from a national study of midlife adults. Social science & medicine (1982), 292, 114623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114623
Akobirshoev, I., Mitra, M., Dembo, R., & Lauer, E. (2020). In-hospital mortality among adults with autism spectrum disorder in the United States: A retrospective analysis of US hospital discharge data. Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 24(1), 177–189. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319855795
Akobirshoev, I., Parish, S., Mitra, M., & Dembo, R. (2019). Impact of Medical Home on Health Care of Children With and Without Special Health Care Needs: Update from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health. Maternal and child health journal, 23(11), 1500–1507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-019-02774-9