The Research Office is inviting all Oakland University community members, as well as the general public, to attend “Being a Public Scholar: What’s Love Got to Do with It?” an upcoming “Soundings Series” event featuring Sociology Professor Terri Orbuch, also known as “The Love Doctor.”
The event, which will take place from 3-4:30 p.m. Sept. 13 in the Oakland Room at the Oakland Center, features Dr. Orbuch as an example of a faculty member successfully taking their research out of the lab, the field, the archive, or the studio and using it to make a positive difference in the world.
"We are thrilled to have Dr. Orbuch share her expertise and discuss how she has brought her research into the world through so many venues, including books, TV, radio, and online,” said Leanne DeVreugd, program assistant for Women in Science, Engineering, and Research (WISER) at Oakland University. “Her experience can provide valuable tips for faculty who want to be publicly engaged scholars."
During the event, Orbuch will talk about her research, and about how she has taken her message out of the lab and brought it to the public through a wide range of media outlets and approaches.
“One thing I have learned over the years is that scientific research is quite valuable when we give it practical applications,” Orbuch said. “On Sept. 13, I'll be talking about my long-term research on couples over time, and how and why I've brought my research to real couples in the form of highly practical tips and easy to understand approaches.”
Orbuch has been cited in thousands of articles and authored six books, including, “5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good To Great” and “Finding Love Again: 6 Simple Steps to a New and Happy Relationship.” She is also the director of a landmark study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she has been following the same 373 couples for almost three decades.
“I had an epiphany about a decade ago while pouring through fascinating data on marriage and reading the findings from my long-term project on relationships,” she said. “It was this: Very few of the people who can really use great information about marriage and relationships ever get to see, learn about, and benefit from the findings of my research and that of other relationship scientists. It's a shame that such great information was read by only a few.
“So, I coined myself as ‘The Love Doctor,’ and now I bring my research findings to real couples in the form of highly practical tips and easy to understand approaches.”
Orbuch has been featured in such national publications as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, Reader’s Digest and TIME magazine. She has also appeared on The Today Show, The Katie Couric Show, ESPN and CNN. Her relationship segments are aired on Fox-TV Detroit and she is a relationship expert for OurTime.com. Orbuch also hosts her own weekly radio program on Empower Radio called, “The Love Doctor is IN,” which airs live on Fridays at noon ET. Her PBS TV program titled, “Secrets from the Love Doctor” has been airing since 2013.
For more information about the “Soundings Series” event, contact DeVreugd at [email protected].