As the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) Chief Strategy Officer, Dr. Robyn Watson Ellerbe brings over 20 years of experience in leadership, management, and research to effectively formulate strategy and lead initiatives to achieve IWPR goals, advance the organization’s mission, and extend IWPR’s reach.

Dr. Watson Ellerbe is a seasoned scientist whose research has focused on addressing health disparities that disproportionately impact minority populations. She has experience recruiting minority participants for health promotion and disease prevention research and for workforce programs aimed at increasing minority participation in the public health and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. Dr. Watson Ellerbe has served as the principal investigator for several private and government funded grants and contracts, including Hofmann-La Roche Pharmaceutical, Inc.; the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health; DC Department of Health; National Institute of Health, National Library of Medicine; and Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescences and School Health, to name a few.

Dr. Watson Ellerbe has held leadership positions at association and non-profit organizations. Prior to joining IWPR, Dr. Watson Ellerbe was the Vice President of Research for the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), providing strategic direction to advance and promote research and knowledge that improves physical therapist practice. Before APTA, Dr. Watson Ellerbe was the Chief Operating Officer at the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation (UNCFSP), responsible for the overall strategy and operations of all the program areas of the organization.

For two decades, Dr. Watson Ellerbe has presented at national conferences, published in peer reviewed journals, and served on national advisory boards. She is currently, the Treasurer of the HealthHIV Board and recently completed a four-year term on the National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research, a Board that advises the directors of the NIH, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR). Dr. Watson Ellerbe received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley, her master’s degree from San Francisco State University, and a doctorate in Health Services, Organization and Policy from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health.