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Robbie Dembo

Pronouns: He/Him

Senior Research Scientist
Robbie is a quantitative social scientist with expertise in developmental disabilities, maternal and child health, caregiving, social support, and social determinants of health.

Robbie is a senior research scientist in NORC’s Health Care Evaluation department. 

His work seeks to contribute a greater understanding of (1) the health care experiences and disparities among children with special health care needs and disabilities, and (2) the health and well-being of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families, over the life course. To advance knowledge in these areas, his research incorporates primary data from focus groups and interviews as well as secondary data from national and state-level surveys and administrative claims. Robbie’s methodological training and deep subject matter expertise helps to ensure that projects are rigorously designed while focused on the real-world concerns of individuals with disabilities and their families.

Robbie is currently leading the first comprehensive, national study to examine the oral health and dental care needs, experiences, and disparities among children with special health care needs. This project is funded by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. Extending this work, he is co-leading a survey project with Kate Honsberger to understand emerging health care and policy issues for children with and without special health care needs using NORC’s AmeriSpeak survey platform. Robbie was also recently awarded a grant by the Social Security Administration to conduct a study on financial security and retirement preparedness among midlife and aging parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Robbie completed an NIH T32 postdoctoral fellowship training program in interdisciplinary research in intellectual and developmental disabilities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 2020 to 2022. Between 2016 and 2020, he was a researcher at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University. Earlier in his career, Robbie conducted social policy research in the Office of the Governor in the State of Illinois. 

Education

NIH T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship

University of Wisconsin-Madison

PhD

Brandeis University

MA

Brandeis University

MA

Indiana University

BA

University of Michigan

Honors & Awards

Morse Society Scholar | 2020-2022

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Honorable Jonathan Brant Endowed Doctoral Fellow | 2019

Brandeis University

Best Research Poster Award | 2019

Sunbelt, International Network for Social Network Analysis

Social Networks and Health Fellow | 2018-2019

Duke University

Best Student Research Award | 2018

AcademyHealth Disability Research Interest Group

Project Contributions

Oral Health Among Children with Special Health Care Needs

A mixed-methods study of dental care needs and disparities among children with special health care needs

Client:

Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health

Reducing Health Disparities Through Quality Improvement

Helping to embed health equity into Medicare and Medicaid services

Client:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health