Dr. Fernando I. Rivera is a Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of the Puerto Rico Research Hub at the University of Central Florida. He has previously served as Interim Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence, UCF Global Faculty Fellow and Provost Faculty Fellow. He has also served in different taskforces related to Accelerating Latino Student Success and Hispanic Serving Institutions. His research interests and activities are in the sociology of health/medical sociology, disasters, and race and ethnicity. His published work has investigated how different mechanisms are related to certain health and mental health outcomes with a particular emphasis on Latino populations.  His disaster research has explored the investigation of factors associated with disaster resilience, restoration and resilience in coupled human-natural systems, and climate migration. Other publications have investigated the Puerto Rican diaspora in Florida. He has co-edited Disaster Resilience: Interdisciplinary Perspective (2012), co-authored Disaster Vulnerability, Hazards, and Resilience: Perspectives from Florida (2015), and edited Emerging Voices in Natural Hazards Research (2019). He was guest editor for a special issue of Population and Environment on Puerto Rico before and after Hurricane Maria and the Journal of Emergency Management titled Analysis of Pre and Post Disaster Management and Recovery in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his B.A. degree in sociology from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez. He also completed a NIMH sponsored post-doctoral fellowship at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers University.

Can you tell us more about your background and experience?

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. I received my undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez and my MA and PhD in Sociology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  My research has investigated sub-Latino group differences in health and mental health outcomes. During the last past 10 years or so, I have analyzed community disaster resilience and climate migration.  I have been at the University of Central Florida since 2005 and have witnessed the growth of its Puerto Rican population, which in 2017 surpassed New York as the state with most Puerto Ricans (approx. 1.2 million and counting).

What challenge did you encounter while teaching, and how did you address it? 

My biggest challenge was trying to capture the attention of students we were not particularly interested in my teaching. I had a learning experience where a group of students told me to not spend that much energy on those not paying attention and instead on them-the one that were participating and interacting with class material frequently. 

What advice do you have for students to succeed in their future career paths?

Regardless on your career choice, the effort that you put in is the result you are going to receive in the future. Be solution oriented instead of complaining and if you complain make sure to have a solution in mind. Also, balance work and personal life, and put energy into the things that matter most to you. 

What is one fun fact about yourself? 

I am a huge baseball fan and I’m on a quest to visit every Major League Baseball stadium. Of the 30 current teams, I have visited 25 stadiums, missing only the Astros, Rangers, Twins, Diamondbacks and A’s team stadiums.

What do you consider to be your most outstanding achievement?

My biggest achievement so far was the creation of the Puerto Rico Research Hub at the University of Central Florida.  Creating a space of education and research for the Central Florida community has been a privilege and an honor.  If you want to know more about the Hub please visit: https://global.ucf.edu/puertorico/