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Carmen Alvarez, PhD, MSN, RN

Specialties and Expertise
- Chronic Care
- Community
- Family
- Mental Health
- Trauma
- Violence
- Women's Health
Overview
Carmen Alvarez’s research focuses on the development and implementation of health promotion and risk reduction interventions primarily for underserved ethnic-minority women with a history of trauma—specifically adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and intimate partner violence (IPV). Dr. Alvarez’s research goals are to identify and better understand intervening variables in the relationship between ACEs/IPV and poor health to inform culturally tailored interventions for this population. Her most recent work—“Improving Psychosocial Well-Being among Immigrant Latina Survivors of ACEs”—is supported by the RWJF Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program. Her BSN and MSN are from Emory University and her PhD is from the University of Michigan.
Additional Resources
Below are selected resources. For more information, please see full CV.
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Videos
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Publications/Research
Diaz-Ramos, N*., Alvarez, C*., & Debnam, K. (in press). Teen Dating Violence and the Acceptability of a Safety-Decision Aid: Perspectives from Puerto Rican Youth. Hispanic Health Care International.
Alvarez, C., Hines, A.L., Carson, K.A., Ibe, C.A., Andrade, N., Marstellar, J.A., Cooper, L.A. (in press). The association of perceived stress and discrimination on medication adherence among diverse patients with uncontrolled hypertension. Ethnicity & Disease.
Ibe, C.A., Alvarez, C., Carson, K.A., Marstellar, J.A., Crews, D.C., Dietz, K.B., et al. (in press). Social determinants of health as potential influencers of the delivery and receipt of a collaborative care intervention among patients with hypertension. Ethnicity & Disease.
Andrade, N., Ford, A. D., & Alvarez, C. (2020). Discrimination and Latino health: a systematic review of risk and resilience. Hispanic Health Care International. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540415320921489.
Cooper, L.A*, Marsteller, J.A*, Carson, K.A, Dietz, K.B, Boonyasai. R.T, Alvarez C, et al. (2020). Trial design of the RICH LIFE Project: a cluster randomized pragmatic trial comparing the effectiveness of health system only vs. health system plus a collaborative/stepped care intervention to reduce hypertension disparities. American Heart Journal.
Alvarez, C., Perrin, N., Lameiras-Fernandez, M., Rodriguez, R., & Glass, N. (2019). "Adverse childhood experiences among Latina women and its association with mastery of stress and health." Child Abuse & Neglect, 93, 139-148. doi.org.10.1016.
Alvarez, C., Lameiras-Fernandez, M., Holliday, C., Sabri, B., & Campbell, J. (2018). "Latina and Caribbean immigrant women’s experiences with domestic violence: a story of ambivalent sexism." Journal of Interpersonal Violence. doi.org/10.1177/0886260518777006.
Alvarez, C., Debham, K., Clough, A., Alexander, K., & Glass, N. (2018). "Responding to intimate partner violence: current practices and opportunities for integrating a safety decision aid into primary care settings." Research in Nursing & Health, 41(2), 145-155. doi.org/10.1002/nur.21853.
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Awards/Honors
2020 National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities Loan Repayment Renewal
2019 American Academy of Nursing Fellow
2018 Isabel Hampton Award
2017 SOURCE Service-Learning Faculty Fellow
2016 National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities Loan Repayment
2015 New Nurse Faculty Fellow, Maryland Higher Education Commission
2013 Panelist for Institute of Medicine’s Richard & Hinda Rosenthal Lecture Series
2011 New Investigator Award, University of Michigan, School of Nursing
2011 Graduate Student Research Award, University of Michigan, Institute for Research on Women and Gender
2010 Ella E. McNeil Award, University of Michigan, School of Nursing
2007 Rackham Merit Fellowship, University of Michigan, Rackham Graduate School
2007 Silver Bowl Award, Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
2003 Fuld Fellowship, Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing