Faculty Highlight: Javier Lopez-Rios

Javier Lopez-Rios, PhD, MPH, joined the Dornsife School of Public Health (DSPH), in September 2021, as an assistant teaching professor in the department of Community Health and Prevention (CHP).

Lopez-Rios’ work is focused on the prevention of HIV/AIDS, specifically improving HIV testing and access to HIV care for sexual minority populations. He is trained in qualitative research methods and has over 10 years of research experience in the U.S. and in Puerto Rico, where he was born.

“What drove me to public health was my desire to enable change in my community back in Puerto Rico and to, hopefully, do my part in making people’s lives a little better,” said Lopez-Rios. “I sincerely enjoy the interdisciplinary nature of public health and have been fortunate enough to collaborate with and learn from colleagues who share this passion.”

“Dr. Lopez-Rios brings a wealth of teaching experience to CHP and a fresh perspective on student engagement and course design. That, plus his extensive research background, enables Javier to bring real-world experience to both the undergraduate and the graduate courses that he will teach at Drexel,” said Janet Fleetwood, PhD, MPH, professor and interim chair of CHP.

Javiér Lopez-Rios,PhD, MPH is an assistant teaching professor in the department of Community Health and Prevention

In 2012, Lopez-Rios received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico. He went on to receive his master of public health in 2016 from Hunter College of the City College of New York (CUNY) and his PhD in 2021 from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy.

Before coming to DSPH, Lopez-Rios was a research project manager at the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University. He oversaw a series of federally funded research studies on the use of HIV rapid testing modalities by sexual and racial/ethnic minority populations in New York City. Additionally, he was an adjunct lecturer at the York College of CUNY in the Department of Health and Human Performance.

Throughout his career, Lopez- Rios has developed fruitful collaborations with experts in the field, and he hopes to continue learning from both colleagues and students.

When not in the classroom or engaged in public health research, Lopez-Rios enjoys going on long walks, baking for his loved ones, and playing video games.