Lee Robins
| Lee Nelkin Robins | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 29 August 1922 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Died | 25 September 2009 (aged 87) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater |
Radcliffe College Harvard University |
| Known for | Psychiatric Epidemiology |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Social Science in Psychiatry, Psychiatric Epidemiology |
| Institutions | Washington University in St. Louis |
Lee Nelken Robins (August 29, 1922 – September 25, 2009) was an American professor of social science in psychiatry and a leader in psychiatric epidemiology research. She was affiliated with the Washington University in St. Louis for more than 50 years from 1954 until 2007.
Robins was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1942 and 1943, she received bachelor's and master's degrees from Radcliffe College, and in 1951 she received a doctoral degree in sociology from Harvard University. After completing her doctoral program, Robins worked as a research assistant in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.
In 1954, Robins became a member of the faculty at Washington University School of Medicine as a research assistant. She continued to work at Washington University for the next 50 years, being promoted to assistant professor in 1959, associate professor in 1962 and full professor (in sociology in psychiatry) in 1966. She founded and served as the director of the school's Master's Program in Psychiatric Epidemiology.
During her career at Washington University, Robins was recognized as a leader in research into psychiatric epidemiology, the study of the root causes of mental disorders in a population-wide sense. She was also "a leader in the development of diagnostic criteria for psychiatric diagnosis." The Los Angeles Times reported that Robins "pioneered the field of psychiatric epidemiology" and "played a key role in determining the prevalence of mental problems in the United States and the world."
Robins' research in the 1960s showed that abnormal behavior in childhood was an important predictor of psychiatric problems in adulthood. As an indicator of adult problems including alcoholism, divorce and incarceration, childhood antisocial behavior was found in the data to be a more accurate indicator than factors such as social class, family background, and childhood fears. Her research in the field led to new thinking in the mental health field on issues including teen suicide and drug abuse.
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