Dr. Mónica Rivera Mindt, a board-certified neuropsychologist, is Past-President of the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society and a tenured Professor of Psychology, Latinx Studies, and African & African American Studies at Fordham University with a joint appointment in Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her multidisciplinary, community-based research is funded by the NIH/National Institute of Aging (NIA) and Genentech.
Her work primarily focuses on the intersection between cultural neuroscience and health disparities in cognitive aging. Her current studies examine genetic, cerebrovascular, and sociocultural risk factors for cognitive impairment and dementia in Latinx, Black, and Indigenous adults, as well as ways to increase diverse representation in cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research.
She has authored 100+ peer-reviewed publications and book chapters dedicated to three lines of inquiry, including:
- Genetic, cerebrovascular, behavioral, and sociocultural risk and modifiable resilience factors for cognitive and functional impairment and dementia in middle-aged and older adults from underrepresented populations (URPs);
- Advanced approaches for early detection of cognitive impairment in middle-aged and older adults from URPs; and
- Ways to increase the inclusion and engagement of URPs in cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) research and the AD/ADRD workforce.
At the national level, Dr. Rivera Mindt is an Advisory Board Member of the Brown University Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center; a Member of the ARTFL LEFFTDS Longitudinal Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (ALLFTD) External Advisory Board; a Member of the Research Advisory Group, Recruitment Accelerator for Diversity in Aging Research, Cognitive Loss and Dementia; a Member of the University of Washington Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Advisory Board; a Member of the University of Texas Rio Grand Valley Resource Center for Minority Aging Research Advisory Board; a Member of the National Centralized Repository for ADRD (NCRAD) Executive Committee; and a Member of the Natives Engaged in Alzheimer’s Research (NEAR) Study Data Safety Monitoring Board. Locally, she serves as Treasurer for the Harlem Community & Academic Partnership (HCAP).
As a bilingual (Spanish/English), Afro-Latinx/Indigenous neuroscientist, she brings a unique perspective to her research and is the recipient of several awards for her research, teaching, and contributions to the field, including the 2019 Hispanic Health Leadership Award from the National Hispanic Medical Association. She is also a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 40, Society for Clinical Neuropsychology), the National Academy of Neuropsychology, and Hispanic Neuropsychological Society.
In her spare time, she enjoys surfing all over Latin America and the U.S. with her husband and two sons.