Mark Robbins

Associate Professor

Clinical Psychology

Office: 13W CPRC
Phone: 401 874-5082
Email: markrobb@uri.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Educational Background

Ph.D. 1993, Rutgers University
M.S. 1988, Rutgers University
B.S. 1984, University of Illinois - Champaign/Urbana

Research Interests

Research interests focus on health promotion, disease prevention and decision-making particularly for planned change at both the individual level and on a population basis. Current efforts centered on a program of research utilizing the Transtheoretical model to understand decision-making and behavior change in organ donation & transplantation, blood donation, advanced care planning and multiple health behavior change. Recent research has a significant focus on understanding and addressing health disparities and improving cultural tailoring of health promotion interventions.

Professional Interests

Clinical health psychology emphasizing a cognitive-behavioral framework to develop and deliver behavioral medicine and health psychology interventions to adults in individual and group settings. Additional interests are in training development and delivery, motivational interviewing, stress reduction, including relaxation training and meditative techniques.

Honors and Awards

Co-Investigator, PI on Subcontract, A Computer Tailored Education Intervention to Increase Pursuit of Living Kidney Donation by African-Americans. (2011-2016). National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities & National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney diseases, 1R01DK088711-01A1. PI Washington University Medical Center: Amy Waterman. Total Award: $2,837,617. Subcontract Award: $1,094,897.

Co-Investigator, URI subcontract to Yale University, Promoting Behavior Change to Increase Engagement in Advance Care Planning, (2011-2013). National Institute of Aging, R21 AG037791. PI – Fried, Yale University . Award: $372,302. Subcontract Award: $189,237.

Principal Investigator, Feasibility of Expert System to Promote African American Blood Donation for SCD (Sickle Cell Disease) (2009-2011). National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, 1R21HL092390. Awarded: $434,188.

Graduate Student Research

Amoyal, Nicole. (2012, expected). Elevation and mirth: Assessing the influence of positive mood states on decision-making for organ donation. Doctoral Dissertation

Burditt, Caitlin. (2011). Application of the Transtheoretical Model to parent facilitation of healthy anxiety management in their children. Doctoral Dissertation

Creeden, C. (2009).Validation of the measures of the transtheoretical model for exercise in and adult African American sample. Masters Thesis

Doucet, J. (2009).Qualitative examination of satisfaction with three expert system interventions to reduce cancer. Doctoral Dissertation

Selected Publications

Amoyal, N., Robbins, M.L., Paiva, A., Burditt, C., Kessler, D., & Shaz, B. (2012). Measuring the Processes of Change for Increasing Blood Donation in Black Adults. Transfusion, August, doi: 10.1111/j.1537-2995.2012.03864.x

Paiva, A.L., Prochaska, J.O., Hui-Qing Yin, H., Redding, C.R., Rossi, J.S., Blissmer, B., Robbins, M.L., Velicer, W.F., Lipschitz, J., Amoyal, N.R., Babbin, S.F., Creeden, C.L., Sillice, M.A., Fernandez, A., McGee, H., Horiuchi, S. (2012). Treated individuals who progress to action or maintenance for one behavior are more likely to make similar progress on another behavior: Coaction results of a pooled data analysis of three trials. Preventive Medicine, 54, 331-334.

Blaney, C., Robbins, M.L., Paiva, A., Redding, C.A., Rossi, J.S., Blissmer, B., Burditt, C., & Oatley, K. (In press). Validation of the measures of the transtheoretical model for exercise in an adult African American sample. American Journal of Health Promotion.

Fried, T.R., Redding, C.A., Robbins, M.L., Paiva, A., R. O'Leary, J. R., & Iannone, L. (In Press). Stages of Change for the Component Behaviors of Advance Care Planning. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Waterman, A., Robbins, M.L., Paiva, A., & Hyland, S. (2010). Kidney Patients' Intention to Receive a Deceased Donor Transplant: Development of Stage of Change, Decisional Balance, and Self-Efficacy Measures. Journal of Health Psychology, 15, 436-445.

Burditt, C., Robbins, M.L., Paiva, A., Velicer, W.F., Koblin, B., & Kessler, D. (2009). Motivation for Blood Donation among African Americans: Developing Measures for Stage of Change, Decisional and Efficacy Constructs. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 32, 429-42.

Hall, K.L., Robbins, M.L., Paiva, A., Knott, J.E., Harris, L., & Mattice, B. (2007). Donation Intentions among African American College Students: Decisional Balance and Self – Efficacy Measures. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 30, 483-495.

Mauriello, L.M., Rossi, J.S., Fava, J., Redding, C.A., Robbins, M.L., Prochaska J.O., & Meier, K.S. (2007). Assessment of the pros and cons of stress management among adolescents: Development and validation of a decisional balance measure. American Journal of Health Promotion, 22, 140-143.

Robbins, M.L., Levesque, D.A., Redding, C.A., Johnson, J.L., Prochaska, J.O., Rohr, M.S. & Peters, T.G. (2001). Assessing family members' motivational readiness and decision making for consenting to cadaveric organ donation. Journal of Health Psychology, 6(5), 523-535.