Researcher profile

Edna Acosta Pérez

Edna Acosta-Pérez, PhD, MSc Assistant Professor, Graduate School Public Health, Medical Science Campus, University of Puerto Rico (UPR). Dr. Acosta-Pérez received a Ph.D. in psychology (2005) and a post-doctoral in clinical research (2009) at the UPR. She was certified as a Community Based Participatory Researcher by the University of New México. Dr. Acosta-Pérez holds a role as a Social and Community Researcher engaged in collaborations with esteemed research institutes and centers, including the Alliance for Clinical and Translational Research (Alliance), the Puerto Rico Alliance for the Advancement of Biomedical Research Excellence (PR-INBRE), the FDI Clinical Center Foundation, as well as with the private non-profit organization Nexos Group, Inc. Dr. Acosta-Pérez is a mid-career researcher who promotes community-academic partnerships and collaborations as models for promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and translational research. Dr Acosta-Pérez focuses on community engagement, community action research, and implementation science research across human life courses in topics such as health promotion & prevention, mental health, asthma, sexuality, violence, disaster, and obesity. Currently, she is directing initiatives as MPI in maternal-paternal-infant-child health, teenage pregnancy prevention, COVID-19 awareness, testing and vaccination in elderly and rural communities, adversity and mental health, and inclusion of minorities and vulnerable communities in research. Dr. Edna Acosta Pérez is a Social Community Psychologist and Scientist by training, and social change constitutes the principal goal of her discipline and professional endeavors. She aspires to persist in the advancement of collaborative and community engagement research endeavors, enlisting a diverse array of community partners. With a specific focus, her objective involves expanding ongoing projects to intensively examine how individual factors intersect and influence the social and health well-being of marginalized communities, particularly those enduring vulnerable experiences. This approach underscores her commitment to incorporating intersectionality, inclusion, and health equity into her research methodology. She holds a particular interest in formulating innovative approaches for conducting comprehensive analyses of these matters, especially within the Puerto Rican Hispanic population.