From television to academia is a journey that associate professor of clinical psychology Rebecca Rogers made after being discovered as a 9-year-old at a drama camp at the University of Miami.
Rogers appeared in at least two Burger King commercials, and she remembers vividly the eight-hour work day. She says that her cheeks were sore from constantly smiling throughout the filming. She finds humor in the fact that today she is a vegetarian.
The Miami native did not pursue a lasting career in television because her interest in psychology led to a different path. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Florida in Tampa and a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of North Texas. Rogers completed an internship at Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Prior to coming to Augusta State, she served at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), working with the Weight Management Center and the Eating Disorders Program. Through work at MUSC and through an honorary faculty appointment at the Medical College of Georgia, she has been involved in medical student and resident education as well as health research.
“I like working with the students and my colleagues,” she says. She has assisted students with research on carbohydrate cravings and other topics, and her personal research interests include health psychology, obesity, eating disorders, and various topics in the health care field. She has published about 50 papers on these topics.
Her recent research involves the discrepancy between one’s knowledge and one’s opinion on a particular subject. “People have very strong opinions on something and often no knowledge of it. Whether its health or politics, there is a gap between opinion and knowledge,” she says.
When not conducting research or teaching, Rogers enjoys exercising and spending time with her two sons, Zahner and Asher.
Name: Rebecca Rogers
Position: Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology
Time at ASU: 11 years
Family: Husband, Brad Reynolds; sons, Zahner, 5 , and Asher, 20 months
Little known fact: “I used to play ultimate frisbee.”
Jul 30, 2010
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