Jean M. Alberti, PhD '70

Jean Alberti, PhD, has had a multi-faceted career but always with an education component. Like many women of her generation, she began her career as a teacher. Alberti taught 5th and 6th grade in the Maryvale and Sweet Home school districts before deciding to pursue a doctoral degree in educational psychology at the University at Buffalo.

While pursuing her doctorate, Alberti worked as a graduate assistant and then was named director of the Office of University Research in the Student Affairs Division. Her career goal was to “teach teachers how to teach,” but her career took a detour into medical education. After earning her degree, Alberti accepted the position of assistant professor at the University of Illinois School of Medicine, where she was “teaching physicians and allied health professionals how to teach and evaluate.” She later became an associate professor and department chair at the Chicago Medical School, and a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health.

Alberti’s experience as a grant reviewer led to another career detour into the field of health education. In 1980, she was named the director of evaluation for two National Institutes of Health grants; the first grant was for the Chicago Heart Association and the second for Northwestern University’s Multipurpose Arthritis Center. During this time, Alberti was completing a second master’s degree, in counseling psychology, which set the stage for her next career detour.

For the past 29 years, Alberti has been in private practice as a licensed clinical psychologist doing cognitive-behavioral therapy. This is a continuation of her education roots, doing “as much teaching and coaching as counseling.” Alberti is a nationally known expert on child psychology and behavior and her groundbreaking theories on bullying have led to the establishment at UB of the Dr. Jean M. Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence.

Alberti has been recognized for her numerous accomplishments throughout her distinguished career. Among these honors are listings in Who’s Who of American Women and the International Dictionary of Distinguished Leadership, and awards such as Outstanding Young Women of America and Chicago Woman of Leadership. Alberti has also served as the international president of Pi Lambda Theta, the international honor society and professional association in education.