Scott I. Donaldson, PhD
  • Home
  • Research
  • Teaching
  • Donaldson Measurement Partners
  • Contact

On this page

  • About Me
  • Featured Scholarship
  • Select Media Coverage

Scott I. Donaldson

Dr. Scott I. Donaldson

Assistant Professor of General Internal Medicine
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

📄 Scott’s CV

About Me

Dr. Donaldson is an Assistant Professor of General Internal Medicine at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and core faculty at the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies. He also holds a secondary faculty appointment at the University of Connecticut in Research Methods, Measurement, and Evaluation.

Dr. Donaldson’s work bridges evaluation, measurement, and health & well-being to advance research and practice. He develops and validates psychometric instruments, conducts meta-analyses, and applies rigorous methodologies to analyze digital data sources. His evaluation portfolio includes multi-year grants with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), focused on digital tobacco marketing surveillance and the impact of online exposures on adolescent risk behaviors. He is also a co-developer of the PERMA+4 framework and leads research focused on the development, validation, and application of well-being measurement tools across workplace contexts.

Dr. Donaldson’s research has been published in leading biomedical journals, including JAMA Pediatrics and The Lancet, and featured by news and policy outlets, such as the World Health Organization, U.S. News & World Report, and the Federal Trade Commission.

Interests

  • Evaluation
  • Measurement
  • Health
  • Well-being
  • Social media

Education

🎓 Postdoctoral Scholar in Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement, 2021
University of California, San Diego

🎓 PhD in Evaluation and Applied Research Methods, 2020
Claremont Graduate University

🎓 MS in Applied Psychology, 2015
University of Southern California

🎓 BA in Psychology, 2014
University of California, Los Angeles

Featured Scholarship

The Lancet Public Health Association Between Exposure to Digital Alcohol Marketing and Alcohol Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

[In Press, 2025]

JAMA Pediatrics Association Between Exposure to Tobacco Content on Social Media and Tobacco Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

July 11, 2022

International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology Evaluating Positive Psychology Interventions at Work: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

September 10, 2019

Select Media Coverage

Keck School of Medicine of USC Largest-Ever Study of Tobacco Content on Social Media Links Exposure to Tobacco Use

July 11, 2022

U.S. News & World Report Which Well-Being Approaches Work Best?

July 7, 2022