Rate My Professor Robyn McDougle

Dr. Robyn Diehl McDougle is the Associate Dean of Research and Outreach and an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Randolph-Macon College, her M.S. in Criminal Justice from Virginia Commonwealth University, and her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. Throughout her academic career, McDougle has dedicated herself to applying rigorous research methods to real-world challenges in public safety, community development, and criminal justice policy.

McDougle's primary research specializations are program evaluation, project impact assessment, and the effects of violent crime on youth and community development. She collaborates with service-based organizations and law enforcement agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of programs targeted at residents in high-crime communities, with a particular emphasis on those impacted by violent crime. Her work extends to partnerships with local and state correctional agencies for the development of effective prisoner re-entry programs, and she contributed to the creation of a nationally recognized jailers academy internship program. Additionally, McDougle has provided extensive training in leadership, stress management, and death investigation to professionals from local, state, federal, and international law enforcement agencies and public safety organizations. Her academic interests encompass police-community relations, jail re-entry initiatives, program evaluation techniques, dynamics of violent crimes, crime scene analysis, and evidence collection procedures. Through these contributions, Dr. McDougle enhances research and outreach efforts, fostering evidence-based practices that support safer communities and informed public policy at Virginia Commonwealth University and beyond.