Speaker
Fernando I. Rivera is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Central Florida. His research interests and activities fall under staple areas of sociology, primarily the sociology of mental health, race and ethnicity, medical sociology and the family. Within these areas he has a particular interest in Latino populations. This particular interest has allowed him to expand his research to other areas of social inquiries such as: obesity/diabetes, disability, mental health, substance use, energy consumption, help seeking in disaster situations, and rural emergency management, among others. His research has emphasized on the desegregation of Latino sub-group ethnicities within the aforementioned areas of sociological research. His published work has investigated how different mechanisms are related to certain health and mental health outcomes, particularly the influence of perceived discrimination and perceived social support. Part of his research has explored certain health outcomes (disability, ataque de nervios, and antisocial behaviors) in the Puerto Rican community. Rivera was a co-principal investigator on a grant from the USDA analyzing disaster resilience in Central Florida rural communities He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his B.A. degree in sociology from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez. He also completed a NIMH sponsored post-doctoral fellowship at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers-the State University of New Jersey.
Related Resources from Fernando Rivera
Cultural Mechanisms in the Exchange of Social Support Among Puerto Ricans After a Natural Disaster
Qualitative Health Research, January 2012