Desiree Rivers, Ph.D., MSPH 

Education

POSTGRADUATE: 
Moffitt Cancer Center
Fellow: Behavioral Oncology Postdoctoral Fellow

NCI Patient Navigator Research Program
Cancer Disparities


GRADUATE:
Texas A&M University
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy in Health Education

UAB School of Public Health
Degree: Master of Science in Public Health - Healthcare Organization and Policy


UNDERGRADUATE:
Vanderbilt University
Degree: Bachelor of Psychology, Honor Graduate

Research Interests

Health Care Disparities in access and utilization of health services, including biomedical research and clinical trials for the prevention, treatment and survivorship of cancer among minority and medically underserved populations.

Clinical Interests

Cancer Disparities

Publications

• Rivers, D., Durham Walker, C., Kennedy Mitchell, A., Lawrence, S., Bayer, C. (in press). Improving the Public’s Health Through Sustained, Multidisciplinary Academic and Community Partnerships: The MSM Model. Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association.
• Rivers, B., Hernandez, N., Rivers, D., Cooper, D., Enis, S., Belizaire, C., Matthews, R. (2019). Utilizing Community-based Participatory Research Principles in a Safety-Net Hospital to Develop a Research Partnership. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 30(4), 27-35.
• Rivers DA, Pal T, Vadaparampil ST, Adams LA, Dash-Pitts L, Quinn GP. A community-academic partnership to explore informational needs of African American women as a primer for cancer clinical trial recruitment. Ethn Health. 2019;24(6):679-693. doi:10.1080/13557858.2017.1367762
• Rollins, L., Sy, A., Crowell, N., Rivers, D., Miller, A., Cooper, P., Teague, D., Jackson, C., Henry Akintobi, T., & Ofili, E. (2018). Learning and Action in Community Health: Using the Health Belief Model to Assess and Educate African American Community Residents about Participation in Clinical Research. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(9), 1862. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15091862
• Rivers D, August EM, Sehovic I, Lee Green B, Quinn GP. A systematic review of the factors influencing African Americans' participation in cancer clinical trials. Contemp Clin Trials. 2013;35(2):13-32. doi:10.1016/j.cct.2013.03.007

Honors and Awards

• 2021: NCI U54 CPACHE Pilot Grant (pending)
• 2020: Principal Investigator, National Institute on Aging Research Center on Minority Aging Research Pilot Grant
• 2017: Scholar, National Institute on Aging Butler-Williams Scholar Program
• 2016: Scholar, Region 2 Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities (GMaP) Program, NCI CRCHD K Award Training
• 2016: Fellow, Health Disparities Research Training Program, NCI U54 Cancer Partnership