About
Bob Sinclair is a professor in the Department of Psychology where he also serves as the graduate program coordinator for the department’s doctoral programs in industrial-organizational and human factors psychology. Bob received his B.A. from the University of Maine at Farmington and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Wayne State University. He is a founding member and past president of the Society for Occupational Health Psychology, a Fellow of the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology, and an editorial board member for several prominent applied psychology journals. Bob’s research focuses on occupational health psychology - the study of individual and organizational factors that contribute to worker safety, health and well-being. He is particularly interested in occupational health issues faced by nurses, low-income workers, and military personnel.
Visit Dr. Sinclair's College Profile.
How their research is transforming health care
Bob’s health care research focuses on how nurses’ work experiences influence their physical health and psychological well-being. Since 2008, he has led a research team called the Oregon Nurse Retention Project, a research team involving researchers from Clemson University, Portland State University, the Oregon Nurses Association, George Mason University, and Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. The overall purpose of this research program is to better understand how nurses’ work experiences influence their occupational health and their desires to remain in the nursing profession. His recent work in this area addresses a wide range of topics including workplace conflict, financial stress, death anxiety, burnout, family-supportive workplaces, work schedules, stress management, and organizational climate. One innovative aspect of his research concerns his team’s focus on positive workplace experiences and resilience. While much research in this area has focused on the negative and stressful aspects of nursing, Bob’s team has been investigating the personal qualities of nurses and the positive aspects of nursing work that help promote nurses’ positive health outcomes. This research identifies factors that help maximize nurses’ work engagement, organizational commitment, and psychological well-being.
Health Research Expertise Keywords
Faculty Scholar, Psychology, Industrial/Organizational, Occupational Health, Nursing, Positive Psychology, Stress, Work, Workplace, Retention
