Robert Scales, Ph.D., is a native of Scotland, but he has lived in the Southwest of the United States for more than thirty years. He has a doctorate degree in education and he is a volunteer Clinical Professor in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. Currently, he is Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) and Wellness at a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona.
He was the Principal Investigator in the Cardiovascular Health Initiative and Lifestyle Education (CHILE) Study, the first study to investigate the impact of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and skills-based counseling on the behaviors of patients attending CR. More recently he was the Lead Consultant on an NIH funded grant to investigate methods of teaching MI in a physical therapy academic program.
He has counseled thousands of patients who were recovering from heart disease and related medical conditions. He is also an accomplished international speaker on the topic of disease prevention. Adaptations of his work using MI with clinical populations have focused on the prevention and management of diabetes in Native American communities where he continues to provide consulting and staff training. He is an experienced trainer in MI and he has trained both students and clinicians from a variety of healthcare disciplines to use the approach within their own clinical settings. He is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and he is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).
He is also a Fellow of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (FAACVPR), an advisory board member of the International Concussion Society and a task force member in the Athlete Development and Sports Rehabilitation section of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.