Robert D. Gibbons is the Blum-Riese Professor and a Pritzker Scholar at the University of Chicago. He has appointments in the Departments of Medicine, Public Health Sciences and Comparative Human Development. He also directs the Center for Health Statistics. Professor Gibbons is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, the International Statistical Institute, and the Royal Statistical Society, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers and five books. His statistical work spans the areas of longitudinal data analysis, item response theory, environmental statistics and drug safety and has led to thousands of applications in the biological and social sciences. Professor Gibbons has received life-time achievement awards from the American Statistical Association, the American Public Health Association and Harvard University. He is a founder of the Mental Health Statistics section of the American Statistical Association.
University of Chicago
Chicago Illinois
Ph.D. - Statistics/Psychometrics
1981
University of Denver
Denver Colorado
BA - Chemistry/Mathematics
1976
Assessing Psychiatric Symptoms in Autistic Youth Using the K-CAT®.
Assessing Psychiatric Symptoms in Autistic Youth Using the K-CAT®. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026 Aug 27.
PMID: 42658421
Computerized Adaptive Tests for Rapid and Accurate Assessment of Autism.
Computerized Adaptive Tests for Rapid and Accurate Assessment of Autism. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 07 01; 9(7):e2622227.
PMID: 42485044
Content Validity of the K-CAT® Assessing Mental Health Challenges in Autism: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Perspectives from Autistic Youth, Caregivers, and Clinicians.
Content Validity of the K-CAT® Assessing Mental Health Challenges in Autism: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Perspectives from Autistic Youth, Caregivers, and Clinicians. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026 May 28.
PMID: 42207447
Prospective Assessment of Depression and Anxiety Trajectories Among Emergency Department Patients with Somatic Complaints.
Prospective Assessment of Depression and Anxiety Trajectories Among Emergency Department Patients with Somatic Complaints. West J Emerg Med. 2026 May 14; 27(3):579-588.
PMID: 42258857
A Prospective Examination of the Predictive Validity of Three Transdiagnostic Assessments of Risk for Suicidal Behavior: Psychache, the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, and Reasons for Living.
A Prospective Examination of the Predictive Validity of Three Transdiagnostic Assessments of Risk for Suicidal Behavior: Psychache, the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, and Reasons for Living. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2026 Sep; 65(9):1171-1181.
PMID: 41308733
Parental Diseases of Despair and Suicidal Events in Their Children.
Parental Diseases of Despair and Suicidal Events in Their Children. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 09 02; 8(9):e2531442.
PMID: 40938599
The BAsic NeuroCognitive Continuum (BANCC): Delineation of dimensional and categorical features for etiological and treatment investigations of idiopathic psychosis.
The BAsic NeuroCognitive Continuum (BANCC): Delineation of dimensional and categorical features for etiological and treatment investigations of idiopathic psychosis. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2025 Nov; 79(11):747-756.
PMID: 40855769
Association of the 2018 U.S. Heart Allocation Policy Change and the Survival Benefit of Heart Transplantation.
Association of the 2018 U.S. Heart Allocation Policy Change and the Survival Benefit of Heart Transplantation. JACC Heart Fail. 2025 07; 13(7):102480.
PMID: 40472621
Prevalence of Past-Year Mental and Substance Use Disorders, 2021-2022.
Prevalence of Past-Year Mental and Substance Use Disorders, 2021-2022. Psychiatr Serv. 2025 Aug 01; 76(8):720-728.
PMID: 40395079
Impact of insurance type on outpatient mental health treatment of US adults.
Impact of insurance type on outpatient mental health treatment of US adults. PLOS Ment Health. 2025 May; 2(5).
PMID: 40895171
Advisor to the Secretary of the Veterans Administration
Veterans Administration
2017 - 2017
Endowed Chair University of Chicago – The Blum-Riese Professorship
University of Chicago
2016 - pres
Distinguished Achievement Medal for the ASA’s Section on Statistics and the Environment
ASA
2016 - 2016
Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society
Royal Statistical Society
2016 - 2016
Fellow of the International Statistical Institute
ISI
2015 - pres
Fellow of the Center for Health Administration Studies
University of Chicago
2015 - pres
Long-Term Excellence Award – Health Policy Statistics Section
ASA
2013 - 2013
Rema Lapouse Award for Contributions to Psychiatric Epidemiology
American Public Health Association
2012 - 2012
Pritzker Scholar
University of Chicago
2011 - pres
Professor Emeritus of Biostatistics
University of Illinois
2010 - pres
Distinguished Faculty Award
University of Illinois
2009 - 2009
Outstanding Statistical Applications Award
ASA
2009 - 2009
Youden Prize for Contributions to Inter-laboratory Calibration
ASA
2006 - 2006
Harvard Award in Psychiatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Harvard University
2003 - 2003
Youden Prize for Contributions to Inter-laboratory Calibration
ASA
2002 - 2002
Member of the Institute of Medicine (now National Academy of Medicine) of the National Academy of Sc
National Academy of Sciences
2001 - pres
Fellow of the American Statistical Association
ASA
2001 - pres
Research Scientist Award
NIMH
1995 - 2000