Debra D. Roberts, Ph.D. is Founding Director of the Cultural Socialization Lab (CSL) housed in Howard University’s Department of Psychology, where she is Professor and Chair. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology/Neuroscience from University of Toronto, Master of Science in Community Psychology from Florida A&M University, and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Temple University.
Dr. Roberts’ primary area of research involves examining various aspects of culture and ethnicity as they impact the relationship between psychosocially toxic environments, otherwise known as PTEs (poverty, violence, discrimination, trauma, etc.) and psychosocial well-being among children and adolescents. She has worked with diverse populations and has unique research experience with programs that target marginalized, vulnerable children and adolescents of color. As someone of Caribbean descent who was raised in Canada, she is particularly excited about the prospect of working with youth of African descent throughout the Diaspora. Her passion for research extends to the classroom, where both undergraduate and graduate courses motivate her to bring creative, innovative learning-focused instructional approaches to teaching.