Rosebud O. Roberts, M.B. Ch.B., M.S.

Dr. Rosebud Roberts obtained her medical education from the University of Ghana Medical School, and a Master’s degree in Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health with a concentration in Epidemiology from the University of Iowa. Dr. Roberts was employed for 26 years in the Department of Health Sciences Research at the Mayo Clinic, with a joint appointment in the Department of Neurology, rising to the academic ranks of Professor of Epidemiology and Professor of Neurology. She served as Chair of the Division of Epidemiology at the Mayo Clinic from 2013 through 2017. Dr. Roberts retired from Mayo Clinic in 2018.

Dr. Roberts’s research focused on studies of disorders of memory and related brain functions in late life, specifically Alzheimer’s disease, and mild cognitive impairment, an intermediate stage between normal brain aging and dementia. Dr. Roberts was the lead epidemiologist for the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, a prospective, population-based study of over 5,200 participants that was established to study the risk factors for mild cognitive impairment and its outcomes. Dr. Roberts’s primary area of interest was to identify modifiable and preventive risk factors for mild cognitive impairment, particularly diet and lifestyle factors, and the role of diseases affecting blood flow to the brain in mild cognitive impairment. Dr. Roberts has published extensively, with over 220 publications in high impact journals during her career.

In addition to conducting research, Dr. Roberts had a commitment to mentoring medical students, research fellows, visiting scientists and junior faculty at the Mayo Clinic. This commitment to mentoring led her into the field of coaching and she is an Advanced Certified Personal & Executive Coach through the College of Executive Coaching. Her current interests include Health and Wellness coaching for enhancing wellbeing among physicians.