Dr. Rivera Mindt is a board-certified neuropsychologist and community-engaged researcher. Her work focuses on the intersection between cultural neuroscience and brain health equity.
At Fordham University, Dr. Rivera Mindt is the first Afro-Latinx/Indigenous woman to earn tenured, Full Professor status within the Department Psychology and to serve as Director of Training within the APA-accredited Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program (CPDP). She currently serves as Co-Director of the CPDP Neuropsychology Major Area of Specialization. She holds joint appointments in the Latin American and Latino Studies Institute and African & African American Studies.
At the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Dr. Rivera Mindt is a Professor of Neurology with a joint appointment in the Friedman Brain Institute. Her Mount Sinai laboratory is situated within the community in the heart of Harlem USA, where she and her team work with and serve the community through numerous community partnerships (e.g., Harlem Community and Academic Partnership, East Harlem Community Health Committee).
The overarching aim of Dr. Rivera Mindt’s work is to examine and address differences in brain health and cognitive aging to inform contextually relevant, evidence-based interventions and policies that improve cognitive health outcomes across U.S. communities, including persons living in low resource and rural settings.
Her research focuses on three primary areas:
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Genetic, cerebrovascular, behavioral, and social determinants of cognitive and functional changes in middle-aged and older adults from historically under-studied research groups.
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Innovative approaches for early detection of cognitive impairment and dementia in aging populations.
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Strategies to increase engagement and participation in cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s-related research, as well as workforce development within the field.
She frames her research within a Biopsychosociocultural Framework (Rivera Mindt et al., 2008), emphasizing social factors influencing brain health.
Moving forward, Dr. Rivera Mindt seeks to:
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Expand research on cognitive health in aging and improve inclusivity in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) research
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Enhance participation of persons from all U.S. populations in neurocognitive research
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Train the next generation of scientists, with a strong commitment to mentorship
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Inform public health policy to support equitable cognitive aging
Dr. Rivera Mindt’s work is dedicated to advancing brain health and cognitive well-being across the lifespan. This commitment is reflected in her research, teaching, leadership, and mentorship.
Research
Dr. Rivera Mindt specializes in community-engaged research (CER), an approach that fosters trust and participation in brain health research. She received formal training in CER methods through Mount Sinai’s Faculty Scholar Program (2007-2009). For over 15 years, she has sustained long-term research partnerships with community organizations in Harlem and collaborates with national Community-Science Partnership Boards. Many of her studies enroll 50% or more participants from historically under-studied research populations, applying CER methodologies to address disparities in cognitive health.
Teaching
At Fordham University, she teaches an undergraduate Multicultural Psychology course and a neuropsychology graduate course with integrated diversity components. At Mount Sinai, she has provided guest lectures and seminars on brain health research, neuropsychology, and social determinants of cognitive aging. Across her career, she has mentored over 50 trainees, many from diverse backgrounds.
EJI Leadership/Service
2000-2002 Founding Member of the Women in Neuropsychology Steering Committee, American Psychological Association (APA) Division 40 (Society for Clinical Neuropsychology)
2003 – 2006 Co-Chair, Ethnic Minority Affairs Steering Committee, APA Division 40 2016 – 2017 APA Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology Fellow
2016 – 2017 Co-Chair, HNS Conference Program Committee
2016 – 2017 Co-Chair, Education and Training Subcommittee of the Cultural
Neuropsychology National Summit Meeting
2016 – 2017 Co-Chair, Cultural Neuropsychology National Summit 2017 Meeting 2016 – 2020 President-Elect * President * Past-President (Elected Position), Hispanic
Neuropsychological Society (HNS)
2018 – Co-Founder & Co-Chair, Wisdom Workgroup for Indigenous Neuropsychology: A Global Strategy (Wisdom WINGS)
2022 – 2023 Content Expert, Minnesota 2022 Conference to Update Education and Training Guidelines in Clinical Neuropsychology, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Workgroup
MENTORING
Dr. Rivera Mindt is deeply dedicated to mentoring and training the next generation of scientists in neuropsychology and cognitive aging. She has formally mentored over 50 trainees, including recipients of NIH, Alzheimer’s Assocation, and American Academy of Neurology awards. She co-leads several training initiatives, including the Health Enhancement Scientific Program (HESP) and the BMBH Emerging Scholars Program. Her mentorship extends to supporting doctoral and master’s studetns and co-authoring over 65 publications with trainees, as well as guiding scientific presentations at national and international conferences.
Dr. Rivera Mindt’s stellar record of teaching, mentorship, and training has been recognized with the 2005 Professor of the Year Award from Fordham University and the 2020 Martha Bernal Award for the Advancement of Diversity Training and Education in Clinical Psychology from the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology.
CLINICAL PROFILE
As a bilingual and bicultural neuropsychologist, Dr. Rivera Mindt has specialized in contextually relevant neuropsychological evaluations, particularly within Spanish-speaking communities. Over the past 20 years, she has provided pro bono neuropsychological screenings through partnerships in East Harlem. While she no longer practices clinically due to her research commitments, she continues to provide clinical supervision to doctoral students at Fordham University.
