Biography
Robert Leeman, Ph.D. is Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Sciences in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University, having arrived in August 2022.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Clark University, followed by an M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. After his Ph.D., Dr. Leeman spent a decade at Yale, first as a post-doctoral fellow, then as faculty, followed by seven years at the University of Florida where he was Associate Professor and Mary Lane Endowed Professor in the Department of Health Education and Behavior, Associate Director of the Southern HIV and Alcohol Research Consortium (SHARC) and co-director of a T32 training program in alcohol and HIV.
His research interests are addictive behaviors, sexual health behavior and difficulties with self-control (e.g., impulsivity). Dr. Leeman tests novel interventions and attempts to learn more about risk factors for these behaviors, particularly among adolescents and young adults.
Dr. Leeman has over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has been funded by NIH continuously since 2010. He has served in leadership roles locally, in national and international professional societies including the American Psychological Association (APA), the Research Society on Alcoholism and the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism. Dr. Leeman was named a fellow of the APA in 2021.
Research Keywords
Addiction, HIV, young adult, impulsivity
Selected Publications
Leeman, R. F., Berey, B. L., Frohe, T., Vásquez Ferreiro, A, & O’Malley, S. S. (in press). Impaired control (both attempts to control drinking and failed control) as prospective predictors of negative outcomes among young adults who drink heavily. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
Gebru, N. M., James, T. G., Ahn, S., Cheong, J. W., Berry, M. S., Cook, R. L., & Leeman, R. F. (in press). A behavioral economic examination of sexual behaviors in the era of pre-exposure prophylaxis via explanatory sequential mixed methods. Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Rung, J. M., Berey, B. L., & Leeman, R. F. (2024).Initial evidence of delay discounting’s predictive utility for alcohol self-administration in ecologically valid contexts among young adults who drink heavily. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 256, 111068.
Leeman, R. F., Berey, B. L., Frohe, T., Rowland, B. H. P., Martens, M. P., Fucito, L. M., Stellefson, M., Nixon, S. J., & O’Malley, S. S. (2022). A combined laboratory and field test of a smartphone breath alcohol device and blood alcohol content estimator to facilitate moderate drinking among young adults. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 36, 710-723. doi: 10.1037/adb0000780
Leeman, R. F., Ralevski, E., Limoncelli, D., Pittman, B. P., O’Malley, S. S., & Petrakis, I. L. (2014). Relationships between impulsivity and subjective response in an IV ethanol paradigm. Psychopharmacology, 231, 2867-2876. doi: 10.1007/s00213-014-3458-9
Selected Awards
Fellow, American Psychological Association (APA), Division 28 (Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse)
Inaugural Mary F. Lane Endowed Professor, Department of Health Education & Behavior, College of Health & Human Performance, University of Florida
Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS) Distinguished Lecturer Award
Presidential Citation for Distinguished Service, APA, Division 50 (Society of Addiction Psychology) NIH Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program
Selected Public Services
Chair, American Psychological Association (APA) Board of Convention Affairs
Field Editor, Journal of Studies on Alcohol & Drugs
Elected Member, Research Society on Alcohol Board of Directors
Inaugural Co-Chair, Communications Committee, International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism
Steering Committee Co-Chair, Equality Florida: Gainesville Chapter
Courses Taught
PHTH 2350 Community and Public Health
