Hortensia Amaro, PhD
Distinguished University Professor
College of Medicine, College of Public Health
Florida International University
Dr. Hortensia de los Angeles Amaro is Distinguished University Professor at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work at Florida International University (FIU). Prior to joining FIU, Amaro served as Associate Vice Provost of Community Research Initiatives and Dean’s Professor of Social Work and Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. Amaro has dramatically advanced the understanding of substance abuse disorder treatment, HIV prevention and other urgent public health challenges through a distinguished career that has spanned scholarly research, translation of science to practice, top-level policy consultation and service on four Institute of Medicine committees. In addition to service on numerous NAM consensus study committees, Board on Population Health, and senior advisor to the NAM RWJ-funded Culture of Health Program, she has served as associate editor of 4 major journals and on the advisory boards of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Health Statistics among others. She has authored more than 160 scholarly publications, many widely cited, and has made landmark contributions to improving behavioral health care in community-based organizations by launching addiction treatment programs and HIV prevention agencies in communities of color that have helped thousands of families and informing practice in agencies around the world.
Selected Publications:
Bautista, T. G., & Amaro, H. (2022). Dispositional mindfulness and trauma symptom severity associated with uptake of mindfulness practice among women in treatment for substance use disorder. Journal of Substance Use, 1-7.
Amaro, H., & Prado, G. (2021). Then and Now: Historical Landscape of HIV Prevention and Treatment Inequities Among Latinas. American Journal of Public Health, 111(7), 1246-1248. PMCID: PMC8493170.
Bazzi, A. R., Syvertsen, J. L., Rolón, M. L., Martinez, G., Rangel, G., Vera, A., Amaro, H., … & Strathdee, S. A. (2016). Social and Structural Challenges to Drug Cessation Among Couples in Northern Mexico: Implications for Drug Treatment in Underserved Communities. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 61, 26-33. PMCID: PMC4695257.