Faculty/Staff Dara D. Mendez , PhD, MPH

 

 

Kellogg Health Post-Doctoral Scholar

Graduate School of Public Health
Center for Minority Health
Research Center of Excellence in Minority Health Disparities
127A Parran Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15261

E-mail: ddm11@pitt.edu

RESEARCH

My primary research interests include understanding the social and contextual factors influencing pregnancy and birth and how these factors contribute to existing racial/ethnic health disparities.  I currently investigate the role of social stress, institutional racism, and perceptions of discrimination on the risk of preterm birth and length of gestation. My additional research interests include examining the relationship between neighborhood context and health, utilizing community-based participatory research techniques, and understanding the historical effects of slavery on current health disparities in the US.

TEACHING

I have taught graduate level courses related to understanding current health disparities in the United States and have also lectured in courses in the areas of maternal and child health, reproductive health policy, perinatal epidemiology, minority health and diversity.

SERVICE

I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the National Women’s Health Network, an organization dedicated to improving the health of all women.  I am a founding member of the Coalition to End Environmental Racism (CEER), based in North Carolina. I am also a member of several professional organizations such as the American Public Health Association, the Society for Epidemiologic Research, the Society for the Analysis of African American Public Health Issues, and the Puerto Rican Studies Association.

MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS

• Mendez DD. and Spriggs AL. Race as a social construct: The genetic fallacy. The Amer J of Obs and Gynec. Apr 2008; 198(4): 484.

• Liverpool J, Francis S, Liverpool C, Dean G, Mendez DD. Leptospirosis: The under-reporting of a hidden and emerging public health problem." Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology. 2008; 102(3): 1–7.

• Moultrie SZ, Mendez DD, Hogan VK, Whitmire T, Buescher P. Medicaid Infant Claims, Costs and Regional Characteristics for Women Receiving Maternity Care Coordination in North Carolina. SER Abstracts. Am J Epid Suppl. Jun 2007; 165(11): S18.