Active Living Researcher
Where we live, work and play can affect our health.
Dr. Roberts is the Director of the Public Health Outcomes and Effects of the Built Environment (PHOEBE) Laboratory. The mission of the PHOEBE Laboratory is to gain an improved understanding of how our built environments or rather the man-made places and spaces of our neighborhoods and communities, such as buildings, parks, and transportation systems, can impact the health and well-being of individuals of all ages.
Dr. Roberts examines social and environmental determinants that encourage or discourage all domains of physical activity (e.g. recreational, transportation) and how these determinants may be associated with physical (e.g. obesity) and mental (e.g. depression) public health outcomes among adults, adolescents and children.
PHOEBE Laboratory research follows a broad approach to active living by investigating the following questions.
- How is the relationship between various built environments (e.g. home neighborhood) and types of physical activities (e.g. active transportation) mediated or moderated by social environmental factors (e.g. social capital)?
- How do environmental disparities (e.g. access to recreational spaces) impact health behavior (e.g. physical activity) and health outcome (e.g. obesity) disparities?
- How can we use community-based participatory research to introduce individual and community level interventions that promotes sustainable active living for the improvement of health and well-being.
Learn More
The Purple Line Light Rail Impact on Neighborhood, Impact and Transit (PLIGHT) Study will exam pre- and post-Purple Line public transportation use, active transportation behaviors and attitudes and physical activity among Prince George’s County, Maryland residents.
Harvard University Fellow
Dr. Roberts has been selected by Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health as a JPB Environmental Health Fellow. Funded by the JPB Foundation, this fellowship program supports a new generation of Environmental Health scholars who are committed to developing solutions and supporting policy changes that address environmental, social, and economic health disparities in the United States.
Teaching and Mentoring
Current Courses
Dr. Roberts teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in public health, built environment and physical activity epidemiology at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
- Kinesiology 497: Physical Activity, Built Environment and Public Health
- Kinesiology 600: Kinesiology in Public Health
- Kinesiology 601: Epidemiology of Physical Activity
Dr. Roberts mentors students through independent studies, internships and graduate assistantships.
Speaking Engagements
- “Community Based Active Living Research in the Washington DC Area”. NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, DC Cardiovascular Health and Obesity Collaborative, Community Advisory Board Meeting. Howard University, Washington, DC, June 25, 2018.
- “Transportation Equity Issues in the State of Maryland”. 4th Symposium on Environmental Justice and Health Disparities in Maryland and the Washington, DC Region, College Park, MD, May 12, 2018.
- “Piscataway Park Rx Day Keynote Speaker”. Park Rx America and Accokeek Foundation, Accokeek, MD, April 29, 2018.
- “Sedentary Behaviors Among Washington, DC Area Children: Findings from the BEAP Study”. Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth & Families Foundation, Arlington, VA, December 18, 2017
- “Transit, Obesity and Public Health”. Action Committee for Transit, Silver Spring Civic Center, Silver Spring, MD, October 10, 2017.
- “Symposium Speaker Presentation - Active Living Among Washington, DC Area Youth”. International Symposium "Active Living and Environment: Towards a Healthier and More Sustainable Future", University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, August 29, 2017.
- “Active Transportation Behaviors and Perceptions Among Washington, DC Area Youth”. International Symposium "Active Living and Environment: Towards a Healthier and More Sustainable Future", University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, August 28, 2017.
- “Built Environment and Active Living Among Washington, DC Area Youth”. Active Living Laboratory Research Seminar Series, School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, August 8, 2017.
- “Kids, Let’s Stand Up!: Findings from the Built Environment and Active Play Study”. Counseling Center’s Research and Development Series, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, October 19, 2016.
- “Active Transportation Among Washington, DC Area Children”. National Center for Smart Growth, 2016 Brown Bay Webinar Series, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, October 3, 2016.
- “Sedentary Behaviors Among Washington, DC Area Children”. Fall Seminar Series, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology. University of Maryland, College Park, MD, September 28, 2016.
- “Where Have All the Children Gone: Findings from the Built Environment and Active Play Study”. Maryland Center for Health Equity (M-CHE) Collegium of Scholars, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, March 9, 2016.
In The News
Print Interview
- Reuters, “Heart Doctors Recommend Less Screen Time, Sedentary Behavior for Kids”, August 13, 2018
- Baltimore Sun, "Winter Brings New Chances for a Nature Escape at Patuxent Research Refuge", December 13, 2017
- Washington Post, “Will the Purple Line Make People Healthier?”, November 16, 2017
- University of Maryland, “These Commutes are Made for Walking – Professor Explores How Built Environments Affect Health”, September 14, 2017
- “2017’s Fattest Cities in America – Ask the Experts”, March 22, 2017
Video Interview
- WDVM TV News, “UPDATE: UMD researchers study effects of Purple Line”, December 18, 2017
- University of Maryland, “UMD Reflects”, September 8, 2017
Find Out More
University of Maryland
PHOEBE Laboratory
