Deborah A. Roess, Ph.D.

Deborah A. Roess, Ph.D., 1969 – Dr. Roess joined the faculty of Colorado State University in 1987 and currently is a Professor of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. In addition to teaching a full spectrum of undergraduate and graduate course work, Dr. Roess is a highly regarded research scientist whose work addresses questions about a range of human medical conditions such as infertility, diabetes, allergy, breast cancer, and leukemia. Her research has been supported by competitively-awarded grants including the prestigious Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She has published extensively and is a sought-after lecturer at national and international symposia.

Dr. Roess has served on grant review panels for the NIH, the National Science Foundation, and the American Heart Association. As a female scientist and university educator, Dr. Roess is committed to providing counseling and research opportunities to minority students, first-generation college students, and women of all backgrounds, helping them to achieve careers as physicians, veterinarians, and research scientists. She has worked to improve science education at all levels by expanding research opportunities for undergraduates and K-12 students.

Outside of her laboratory and classroom, Dr. Roess is active in her community. She is an amateur musician who plays the piano, cello and English hand bells. She has also been an instructor with the Colorado Mountain Club Boulder Group’s Basic Mountaineering School and serves as a consultant for the Autism Society of Colorado. While at North, Dr. Roess served on the editorial board for the school’s literary publication, Aquilo. She received a B.A. from the University of Missouri in 1978 and a Ph.D. from St. Louis University in 1982. She and her husband, Dr. George Barisas, have three children, Derek, Elizabeth, and Catherine.