Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry
F.Edward Hebert School of Medicine
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Robert K. Gifford, Ph.D., is a senior scientist in the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, specializing in the study of traumatic stress in the workplace, particularly combat stress, operational stress, accidents, and the aftermath of workplace incidents. His advanced degrees include Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Philosophy degrees, both in psychology, from Yale University, and a Master of Science in clinical psychology from Saint Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Gifford served in the United States Army for thirty years, retiring as a colonel. While in the Army, he conducted psychological research in the field in the Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Shield/Storm), in Somalia, and in Bosnia as well as at field sites in Germany and the United States. He served as Research Psychology Consultant to The Army Surgeon General and later as the Army Medical Service Corps’ Assistant Chief for Medical Allied Sciences.

Dr. Gifford’s research interests include creating resiliency in organizations; the role of group, organizational, and community factors in facilitating a return to normal function after disaster or traumatic loss; and grief leadership — the effect of leaders’ behavior and communication on group recovery. He has extensive experience with both interview research at multiple levels within organizations, and survey questionnaires for larger populations. He has also been active in education about traumatic stress and developing resiliency in organizations and individuals, having lectured on the topic both in the United States and in Europe. His publications include the entry on “War and Conflict: Effects on Military Personnel” for the Encyclopedia of Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association and Oxford University Press.