Robert DeVellis is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Health Behavior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health. A prominent figure in Health Science, he earned his B.S. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts in 1970, M.A. in Clinical Psychological Research from Connecticut College in 1973, and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from George Peabody College in 1977. DeVellis joined UNC Chapel Hill in 1978 as Research Psychologist in the Division TEACCH, Department of Psychiatry. He advanced through successive roles: Adjunct Assistant Professor (1981-1988), Research Assistant Professor (1988-1990), Research Associate Professor (1990-1996), Research Professor (1996-2012), and Adjunct Professor (2012-present). Significant appointments include Assistant Director of the School of Medicine's Rehabilitation Program (1981-1993), Co-Director of Social and Behavioral Research at the Thurston Arthritis Research Center (1984-2012), Associate Director of the Center (2003-2010), and Director of its Methodology Core (2010-2012). He retired from full-time duties in 2012 but continues as adjunct faculty.

DeVellis's research centers on social psychological aspects of health and illness, interpersonal processes in adjustment to chronic illness such as arthritis, measurement of beliefs, attitudes, and dispositions relevant to health, and cognitive and emotional correlates of health-related behavior. His preeminent contribution is the book Scale Development: Theory and Applications, published by Sage in 1991, with revised editions in 2003, 2012, and 2017. This work has become a foundational resource in psychometrics for health researchers worldwide. Key publications include the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scales (Wallston et al., 1978), studies on vicarious acquisition of learned helplessness (1978), social support and health (1983), and recent papers on medication communication, peer support in vasculitis, and pain coping skills for osteoarthritis (2015-2016). Honors include election to Delta Omega in 1992, American Psychological Association Fellowship in 1994, and 2005 awards from the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals: 40th Anniversary Star Award and Distinguished Scholar Award. He served on the APA Division 38 Board of Directors (1999-2002). DeVellis's methodologies have profoundly impacted scale development and validation in health behavior and chronic disease research.

Professional Email: bob_devellis@unc.edu