Member of the Month: Natalie Rivadeneira

What brought you to IAPHS?

When I first started my PhD program and shared my research interests with others, I was advised to look for a scholarly community that would foster my interdisciplinary interests. When asking students further along the program with similar interests to mine, they recommended IAPHS with great enthusiasm.

What discipline(s) does your research fall under?

I am a social epidemiologist. I am currently preparing to defend my dissertation(!), which examines how social context, encompassing intersecting social positions and structural conditions such as economic inequality, contribute to inequities in functional health outcomes in early midlife. Looking ahead, I aim to build an interdisciplinary research program that focuses on how structural conditions impact functional aging across the life course.

What other disciplines pique your interest? Are there additional disciplines you are interested in incorporating in your own research?

Critical theory is central to my identity as a researcher. I look to disciplines in which it is more commonly utilized, like sociology, geography, and cultural studies, to refine my research ideas, generate hypotheses, and challenge assumptions within my own discipline. As I move further into aging research, I am engaging more with the gerontology literature, which is very interdisciplinary.

What is your favorite thing about IAPHS?

The resources and opportunities available to its members. One of the best things I’ve done is participate in the IAPHS Mentoring Program. I was matched with an extraordinary mentor, Roland Thorpe, Jr. The mentoring relationship that we have built has been transformative for me as I have navigated my doctoral studies and decision to pursue an academic career. I also learned a lot from attending the “How to Tuesday” series and have integrated that knowledge to my workflow.

What are you planning to do in the future? Goals for the next five years?

I am currently applying for postdoctoral positions where I can continue to develop my research program. In five years, I hope to be in a tenure track faculty position where I foster collaborative environments and mentor trainees.

Will you be at the conference this year?

I’m planning on it!

Do you have pets?

I don’t have pets right now, but I am passionate about dogs. I grew up with dogs and will take any opportunity to dog-sit. A dog is definitely a part of my five-year plan.

What do you do for fun?

I’m a big cinephile. I’m not on Letterboxd or anything like that. I just love films as a space to feel, think, and notice things that inspire me. If I’m not working in front of a computer, I’m either attending a local film festival, catching a Flashback Cinema screening at my local theater, or watching The Muppet Movie on a friend’s couch.

If the readers want to reach you, what’s the best way to contact you? (website, email, social media, etc.)

You can email me at nrivadeneira@unc.edu or reach me via LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-rivadeneira-6428a9112).