People

Aresha Martinez-Cardoso, PhD

Aresha Martinez-Cardoso is an interdisciplinary public health researcher and Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences.



Her research integrates theoretical perspectives from the social sciences with epidemiological methods in public health to examine how social inequality in the US shapes population health, with a particular focus on the health of racial/ethnic groups and immigrants. Martinez-Cardoso's work interrogates how race and social inequities have been deeply embedded into our nation’s culture and institutions and traces the biosocial mechanisms by which these inequities get “under the skin” to affect health across the lifecourse.



Currently, Dr Martinez-Cardoso's research agenda is guided by three major lines of inquiry

(1) conceptualizing structural racism and its impact on health

(2) studying the biopsychosocial mechanisms by which lifecourse conditions shape health, and

(3) empirically measuring the links between social inequities and health using diverse data sources.



Martinez-Cardoso holds a PhD in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan, and a MS in Community Health Sciences from UCLA.

University of Michigan
Ann Arbor
PhD - Health Behavior and Health Education
2018

University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles
MS - Community Health Sciences
2013

University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles
BA - Latin American Studies
2010

"We have to lie low … that sort of poisons me more and more": A qualitative study of violent political rhetoric and health implications for Spanish and Chinese speaking immigrants.
"We have to lie low … that sort of poisons me more and more": A qualitative study of violent political rhetoric and health implications for Spanish and Chinese speaking immigrants. Soc Sci Med. 2024 01; 341:116504.
PMID: 38134713

Returning personal genetic information on susceptibility to arsenic toxicity to research participants in Bangladesh.
Returning personal genetic information on susceptibility to arsenic toxicity to research participants in Bangladesh. Environ Res. 2024 Jan 01; 240(Pt 2):117482.
PMID: 37879393

The role of smoking history in longitudinal changes in C-reactive protein between Black and White older adults in the US.
The role of smoking history in longitudinal changes in C-reactive protein between Black and White older adults in the US. Prev Med Rep. 2022 Aug; 28:101885.
PMID: 35855919

Assessment of Structural Barriers and Racial Group Disparities of COVID-19 Mortality With Spatial Analysis.
Assessment of Structural Barriers and Racial Group Disparities of COVID-19 Mortality With Spatial Analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 03 01; 5(3):e220984.
PMID: 35244703

The Weight of Migration: Reconsidering Health Selection and Return Migration among Mexicans.
The Weight of Migration: Reconsidering Health Selection and Return Migration among Mexicans. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 11 19; 18(22).
PMID: 34831894

Coming up short: Comparing venous blood, dried blood spots & saliva samples for measuring telomere length in health equity research.
Coming up short: Comparing venous blood, dried blood spots & saliva samples for measuring telomere length in health equity research. PLoS One. 2021; 16(8):e0255237.
PMID: 34407110

Moving Diabetes Upstream: the Social Determinants of Diabetes Management and Control Among Immigrants in the US.
Moving Diabetes Upstream: the Social Determinants of Diabetes Management and Control Among Immigrants in the US. Curr Diab Rep. 2020 08 28; 20(10):48.
PMID: 32857197

Change in birth outcomes among infants born to Latina mothers after a major immigration raid.
Change in birth outcomes among infants born to Latina mothers after a major immigration raid. Int J Epidemiol. 2017 06 01; 46(3):839-849.
PMID: 28115577

Redressing the limitations of the Affordable Care Act for Mexican immigrants through bi-national health insurance: a willingness to pay study in Los Angeles.
Redressing the limitations of the Affordable Care Act for Mexican immigrants through bi-national health insurance: a willingness to pay study in Los Angeles. J Immigr Minor Health. 2014 Apr; 16(2):179-88.
PMID: 22940913

National Institute of Health Loan Repayment Program
National Institutes of Minority Health and Health Disparities
2019 - 2021