Monica Rivera-Mindt

Dr. Monica Rivera Mindt is a Professor of Psychology at Fordham University, with a joint appointment as a Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. As a board-certified neuropsychologist and neuroscientist, she is a leading expert in cultural neuroscience, the role of contextual factors on cognitive aging and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD), and community engaged research in populations disproportionately impacted by AD/ADRD and other serious health conditions.

As a Principal Investigator (PI)/Multi-Principal Investigator (MPI) of a large research portfolio supported by the NIH/NIA, the Alzheimer’s Association, and Genentech, the overarching aim of her work is to advance early detection of AD/ADRD utilizing plasma and digital biomarkers in populations disproportionately impacted by AD/ADRD, within real-world settings; understand the role of contextual factors on cognitive aging and AD/ADRD to inform clinical trials and health policies geared towards improving brain health outcomes for all people; and to increase the generalizability of AD/ADRD research.

COMMITMENT TO INCLUSIVE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION: Dr. Rivera Mindt is committed to promoting cognitive health across all sectors of the U.S. population.  This mission spans all aspects of her work, including research, education, leadership, and mentorship.

• Research & Community Engagement: Dr. Rivera Mindt specializes in community-engaged research (CER), an evidence-based approach that fosters trust and participation in brain health research. She is the only neuroscientist that we are aware of in the country who is also formally-trained in CER, and this training has allowed her to establish long-standing research partnerships with community-based organizations across New York City.  Many of Dr. Rivera Mindt’s studies enroll 50% or more participants from under-studied research populations, utilizing CER methodologies to address the paucity of evidence in cognitive health in these populations.
• Leadership/Service:
  • 2000-2002   Founding Member of the Women in Neuropsychology Steering Committee, American Psychological Association (APA) Division 40 (Society for Clinical Neuropsychology)
  • 2003 – 2006 Co-Chair, Ethnic Minority Affairs Steering Committee, APA Division 40
  • 2016 – 2017 APA Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology Fellow
  • 2016 – 2017 Co-Chair, HNS Conference Program Committee
  • 2016 – 2017 Co-Chair, Education and Training Subcommittee of the Cultural Neuropsychology National Summit Meeting
  • 2016 – 2017 Co-Chair, Cultural Neuropsychology National Summit 2017 Meeting
  • 2016 – 2020 President-Elect * President * Past-President (Elected Position), Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (HNS)
  • 2018 – Co-Founder & Co-Chair, Wisdom Workgroup for Indigenous Neuropsychology: A Global Strategy (Wisdom WINGS)

MENTORSHIP AND TRAINING: Dr. Rivera Mindt is deeply dedicated to mentoring the next generation of scientists in neuropsychology and cognitive aging. She has formally mentored over 50 trainees over the course of her career, including recipients of NIH, Alzheimer’s Association, and American Academy of Neurology awards.  Her mentorship extends to supporting early career scientists, doctoral, masters, and undergraduate students and co-authoring 60+ publications with trainees. Dr. Rivera Mindt’s stellar record of teaching, mentorship, and training has been recognized with the 2005 Professor of the Year Award from Fordham University and the 2020 Martha Bernal Award for the Advancement of Diversity Training and Education in Clinical Psychology from the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology.

CLINICAL PROFILE: As a bilingual/bicultural neuropsychologist, Dr. Rivera Mindt is the first Afro-Latinx/Indigenous woman to earn board certification in Clinical Neuropsychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). Her unique clinical expertise includes cultural neuropsychology and Spanish language neuropsychological evaluation. Over the last 20 years, she has provided numerous pro bono neuropsychological screenings and evaluations through her close affiliations with community-based organizations in East Harlem (a.k.a., Spanish Harlem or El Barrio). Moreover, although she is no longer practicing clinically due to her intensive research commitments, Dr. Rivera Mindt has continued to provide clinical supervision to dozens of clinical neuropsychology and psychology students within Fordham University’s Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program over the last 20 years.

• 1992 BA in Psychology, California Polytechnic University, Pomona
• 1994 MA in Clinical Psychology, Pepperdine University
• 2000 PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of Nebraska
• 2002 Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine

I am the recipient of several awards for my research, teaching, and contributions to the field, including the: 2002 NIH Faculty Loan Repayment Award; 2004 NIH National Center on Minority Health & Health Disparities Scholar Award; 2005 Fordham University Teacher of the Year Award; 2007 Northeast Consortium for Minority Faculty Development Award; 2008 Pepperdine University Distinguished Alumna Award for Psychology; 2010 National Academy of Neuropsychology’s (NAN) Early Career Service Award; 2011 American Psychological Association (Society Clinical Neuropsychology, Division 40) Early Career Award; 2011 SMART University Lifetime Achievement Award (CBO for HIV+ women); 2019 Hispanic Health Leadership Award from the National Hispanic Medical Association; 2020 Martha Bernal Award for the Advancement of Diversity Training and Education in Clinical Psychology from the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology; 2021 Society for Black Neuropsychology Black Luminaries in Neuropsychology Award; and 2022 Commencement Speaker for the Fordham University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. I am also a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 40, Society for Clinical Neuropsychology), National Academy of Neuropsychology, and Hispanic Neuropsychological Society.

*+Fuentes, A., Coulehan, K., Byrd, D., Arentoft, A., Miranda, C., Arce Rentería, M., Monzones, J., Rosario, A., & Rivera Mindt, M. Neurocognitive, Sociocultural, and Psychological Factors Impacting Medication Beliefs among HIV-seropositive Latinx Adults. AIDS Patient Care and STDs. [In Press]

*Student/Mentee Co-Authors; +Senior Author of paper; xJoint first authors

-Blogs-
Arentoft, A., & Rivera Mindt, M. (2016, April 26). Health and Healthcare Injustice: Why We Really Should Care About HIVDisparities [Web blog post]. Retrieved from https://psychologybenefits.org/2016/04/26/health-and-healthcare-injustice-why-we-really-should-care-about-hiv-disparities/

Chartier, M. & Rivera Mindt, M. (2014, December). 9 Things You Should Know About HIV andAging. https://psychologybenefits.org/2014/12/01/9-things-you-should-know-about-hiv-and-aging/

-Print Interview-

2021 Fordham News, Professor Earns Grants to Engage Black Adults in Alzheimer’s Research, March 11, 2021: https://news.fordham.edu/university-news/professor-uses-community-based-approach- to-study-impact-of-alzheimers-and-dementia/

2012 Latina Style, Latinas at the Forefront of Medical Research, Vol. 18 (No. 5). http://latinastyle.com/magazine/issues/features/536/latinas-at-the-forefront-of-medical-research/

2010 Fordham Notes, Bronx, NY, Fordham Science: Adapting Research Methods in HIV Study, October 1, 2010: http://fordhamnotes.blogspot.com/2010/10/science-friday-adapting-research.html

2009 Albert Einstein College of Medicine News, NIH Funds Einstein Center to Target HIV-Related Brain Disease, June 11, 2009: http://www.einstein.yu.edu/news/releases/364/nih-funds-einstein-center-to-target-hiv-related-brain-disease/#sthash.874sHUOR.dpuf