Paul Duberstein, PhD (he/him/his)
Biography
Paul Duberstein, Ph.D., is a public health psychologist, professor, and chair of the Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy at the Rutgers School of Public Health. Prior to joining Rutgers, he was a professor at the University of Rochester, where he held appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry (primary), Family Medicine, and Medicine. Dr. Duberstein received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, completed doctoral training in clinical and community psychology at SUNY Buffalo, advanced training in clinical psychology at Harvard Medical School, and postdoctoral research fellowship training in geriatric mental health at the University of Rochester.
Dr. Duberstein will be on sabbatical from 8/1/2025 – 1/31/2026.
Research Interests
Dr. Duberstein currently has leadership roles in three research initiatives:
Rutgers Suicide Prevention and Research Center (SPARC)
In collaboration with Dr. Evan Kleiman (Department of Psychology), Dr. Duberstein leads the Rutgers SPARC, which brings together faculty from seven schools across Rutgers University, forming a diverse, transdisciplinary community of researchers interested in suicide prevention. SPARC is a resource for faculty and trainees submitting grant applications related to suicide research, and fosters collaborations through its monthly meetings, providing an intellectual forum for faculty, students, scholars, medical professionals, and community members within and beyond Rutgers University.
NJ Health Study
Dr. Duberstein serves as a senior investigator in this study, which is led by Dr. Joel Cantor. The NJ Health Study was launched in 2022 to improve understanding of how life events and stress affect health. The study is currently enrolling up to 8,000 participants from across New Jersey, with an emphasis on historically disadvantaged groups, multi-generational families, and immigrant groups, including: Asian Indian, Chinese, Dominican, Filipino, Haitian, Jamaican, Korean, Mexican, Nigerian, and/or refugees/asylees More information about the NJ Health Study can be found here.
Laboratory of Aging, Policy and Health (LAPH)
Dr. Duberstein developed the Laboratory of Aging, Policy and Health (LAPH), which is now led by Drs. Elissa Kozlov (Rutgers School of Public Health) and Login George (Rutgers School of Nursing). The overarching mission of LAPH is to improve health care, inform health care policy, prevent excess morbidity/mortality, and optimize patient- and family-centered health outcomes for older adults with serious, life-limiting illness and dementia. The LAPH includes students, staff, and faculty members from Rutgers [Drs. Ayse Akincigil (Rutgers School of Social Work), Biren Saraiya (Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey), and Elizabeth Luth (Family Medicine and Community Health)] and faculty from Oregon State University (Dr. Dawn (Hyosin) Kim). Lab members utilize theories and quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods from the psychological, behavioral, and social sciences to conduct research across the public health spectrum, including descriptive phenomenological studies, intervention development research, analyses of administrative datasets (e.g., Medicare) using causal inference methods, and randomized controlled trials.
Dr. Duberstein currently advises one doctoral student, Jessica Andersen. He is not currently accepting incoming doctoral students.