Doris Rubio, PhD

  • Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Advancement and Engagement, Health Sciences
  • Professor of Medicine and of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine
  • Professor of Clinical and Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Rubio has served as director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE) since 2019 and previously served Pitt Health Sciences as assistant vice chancellor for clinical research education and training. In her current role, she works closely with the associate deans of faculty affairs across our six schools of health sciences to advance faculty, with a particular emphasis on professional development, promotion and tenure, career development and mentoring. Additionally, through the resources and expertise of ICRE, she works with faculty to increase the number of National Institutes of Health training grants. She also cochairs the Diversity in Academia Workgroup whose focus is on increasing the number of NIH diversity supplements at Pitt.

Dr. Rubio has more than 30 years’ experience in higher education, devoted primarily to training, mentoring and fostering the well-being and career development of trainees and faculty. Since 2015, she has also been a consistently funded PI for her research on diversifying the biomedical science workforce and has led grants aimed at assisting trainees and faculty from diverse backgrounds to launch and sustain careers in research. As ICRE director, she oversees and helps shape numerous training, degree-granting and career-development programs. 

An MSW graduate of Florida International University who earned her PhD in social work from Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), Dr. Rubio first entered academia as a teaching assistant and statistician at WashU and later served as assistant and associate professor in the Department of Research Methodology at Saint Louis University. She joined Pitt in 2002 and has held several leadership roles during her 20+ years with the health sciences, including director of the University’s Center for Research on Health Care Data Center, which provides database development, data management, and statistical and qualitative support for investigators across the health sciences schools. 

Dr. Rubio’s many honors include the Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award from Pitt and the Educator of the Year Award and the Contributing to the Diversity and Inclusiveness for the Translational Workforce Award from the Association for Clinical and Translational Science.