• pronouns She/her/hers, ela/dela
  • education PhD (Social Work), Boston University School of Social Work
    MA (Applied Sociology), University of Massachusetts – Boston
    BA (Sociology), University of Massachusetts – Boston
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Cristina Araujo Brinkerhoff is a post-doctoral researcher and lecturer at Boston University School of Social Work. Her work focus on social justice, health disparities and health equity, social networks, social support, mental health, immigration policies, and community-based participatory research. She is the social media chair of the Caucus of Refugees and Immigrants Health for the American Public Health Association (APHA). Before joining BU, Dr. Brinkerhoff worked at the Institute for Community Health as a Research Associate. She also worked as an NIH Research Fellow at BU and UMass Boston on an exploratory study about the implication of transnationalism, culture, and social networks for the health and behavior of Brazilian and Dominican immigrants. She is a board member at the Brazilian Workers Center since 2015. Dr. Brinkerhoff graduated from UMass Boston with a BA in Sociology in 2011, a MA in Applied Sociology in 2014 and, in 2023, she received her Ph.D. from the School of Social Work at Boston University.

Courses

Social Work Theory and Practice with Refugees and Immigrants (HB 743)
Racial Justice and Cultural Oppression (HB 735)

Publications

Muroff, J., Do, D., Brinkerhoff, C.A., Chassler, D., Alfaro Cortes, M., M. López, L., Jesus, D., Stewart, E., Roberts, M., Baum, M., Guzman-Betancourt, G. & Sprague Martinez, L. (2023). Nuestra Recuperación [Our Recovery]: Using photovoice to understand the factors that influence recovery in Latinx populations. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 1-11.

Buitron de la Vega, P., Dimitri, N., Brinkerhoff, C. A., Stern, A., Damus, K., Miselis, H., ... & Martinez, L. S. (2022). Virtual Reality Simulated Learning Environments: A Strategy To Teach Interprofessional Students About Social Determinants Of Health. Academic Medicine, 10-1097.

Ginzburg, L. S., Dimitri, N. C., Brinkerhoff, C.A., England, S. A., Haque, S. & Sprague Martinez, L. (2022). Exploring intergroup conflict and community-based participatory research partnerships over time. Research for All. Vol. 6(1).

Sprague Martinez, L.S., Negrón, R., Brinkerhoff, C.A., Tracy, N., Troncoso Lama, M., Reich, A &, Siqueira, C. E. (2022). Project AquiLá: Community-engaged planning to explore the relationship between culture and health. Progress in Community Health Partnerships.

Dimitri, N. C., Ginzburg, L. S., Ron, S., Xu, D., England, S.A., Lowe, L., Botana, P., Brinkerhoff, C.A., Haque, S., Brugge, D. & Sprague Martinez, L. (2022). Advancing Environmental Justice in the Community Using Charrette: A Case Study in Boston Chinatown. Environmental Justice.

Sprague Martinez, L., Araujo Brinkerhoff, C., Conner, B, Troncoso Lama, M., Siqueira, C. E., Negrón, R. (2021). El Sancocho, la bandera y la familia: The social life of food and its implications for Dominican immigrant health. Health Promotion and Practice.

Tang Yan, C., Johnson, K., Araujo Brinkerhoff, C., & Kwesele. (2020) Critical reflections from doctoral students engaging in local and transnational Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approaches to health promotion. Journal of Social Work Education.

Brinkerhoff, C. A., Siqueira, C. E., Negrón, R., Tracy, N., Troncoso Lama, M., & Sprague Martinez, L. (2019). ‘There You Enjoy Life, Here You Work’: Brazilian and Dominican Immigrants’ Views on Work and Health in the US. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(20), 4025.

UNDER REVIEW

Buitron de la Vega, P., Dimitri, N., Brinkerhoff, C.A., Stern, A., Damus, K., Miselis, H., Garg, P.S., Sarfaty, S. & Sprague Martinez, L. (under review). Team-based social determinants of health training for medical, physician assistant and social work students using an interprofessional virtual reality simulation. Academic Medicine.

Brinkerhoff, C.A., Negrón, R., Ibe-Lamberts, K., Tracy, N., Siqueira, E. & Sprague Martinez, L. (under review). “It’s like I am still there”: Technology use among transnational Brazilian immigrants in the U.S. to minimize social isolation. International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care.

Ginzburg, L. S., Dimitri, N. C., Brinkerhoff, C.A., England, S. A., Haque, S.& Sprague Martinez, L. (under review). Exploring intergroup conflict and community-based participatory research partnerships over time. Research for all.

Negrón, R., Brinkerhoff, C.A., Siqueira, C. E., Reich, A., Tracy, N., Troncoso Lama, M., & Sprague Martinez, L. (under review). Project AquiLá: Community-engaged planning to explore the relationship between culture and health. Progress in Community Health Partnerships.

Negrón, R., Brinkerhoff, C.A., Siqueira, C. E., Korn, A., & Sprague Martinez, L. (in preparation). Project Aqui Lá: Development and testing of the Networked tool to measure cultural consonance and mental health with Brazilian Immigrants.

Presentations

Brinkerhoff, C. A. (2023). “Brazilian immigrant mothers social networks: Implications for mental health and wellbeing.” An oral presentation for the 2023 International Sunbelt Social Network Analysis Conference, Portland, OR.

Brinkerhoff, C. A., Reason, L., Sprague Martinez, L. (2022). “Community organization strategies for COVID-19 vaccination for immigrant communities.” An oral presentation as part of the round table session “COVID-19 still here!”: A Roundtable on the Aftermath Impact of
COVID-19 Virus on Refugee, Immigrant and Forcibly Displaced Communities. American Public Health Association Conference 2022, Boston, MA.

Spencer, R., Johnson, K., Brinkerhoff, C., John, R., Nicholson, J., (2019). Teaching and Learning Through Doing Qualitative Methods: Researcher belonging and the challenge of bias in Brazilian immigrant mothers’ transnational networks of support. A Plenary presentation for the 2019 Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology Annual Conference on Qualitative Research Methods, Boston, MA.

Brinkerhoff, C., Sprague Martinez, L., Negrón , R., Siqueira, C. E., (2019). Immigration in the age of information and communication technologies: Implications for social support and health. An oral presentation for the Society for Social Work and Research, San Francisco, CA.

Brinkerhoff, C., Sprague Martinez, L., Negrón , R., Siqueira, C. E., (2018). Immigration in the age of information and communication technologies: Implications for social support and health. A poster presentation for the American Public Health Association Conference, San Diego, CA.

Negrón , R., Sprague Martinez, L., Siqueira, C. E., Brinkerhoff, C. (2015). Transnationalism Networks and Culture: Implications for Health and Behavior. A panel presentation for the XXXV International Sunbelt Social Network Conference, Brighton, UK.

Siqueira, C.E., Negrón , R., Reich, A., Tracy, N., Troncoso, M., Brinkerhoff, C., Diaz, Y., Jaquez, J, Sprague Martinez, L. (2014) Cultural Conversations with Dominican and Brazilian Transnationals: Implications for Health and Wellbeing. A poster presentation for the 2014 Minority Health and Health Disparities Grantees’ Conference: Transdisciplinary Collaborations Evolving Dimensions of US and Global Health Equity, National Harbor, MD.

Negrón , R., Sprague Martinez, L., Reich, A., Jaquez, J., Brinkerhoff, C., Diaz, Y., Tracy, N., Troncoso, M., Siqueira, C.E. (2014). Transnational Networks: Implications for the Study of Culture and Health. A poster presentation for the 2014 Minority Health and Health Disparities Grantees’ Conference: Transdisciplinary Collaborations Evolving Dimensions of US and Global Health Equity, National Harbor, MD.


OTHER PRESENTATIONS

Brinkerhoff, C. A. & Ewing, T. (June, 25 and 26, 2021). Leadership Workshop: “Marielle Franco.” A day long workshop for the Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD). 35th Annual Summer Institute: “Building a Better Future” Zoom Conference, Boston, MA.

Brinkerhoff, C. A. (May, 29, 2021). Career Prep – Dreamer’s Fellowship. Workshop presentation for immigrant youth. Brazilian Worker Center, Allston, MA

Tracy, N., Siqueira, E., Ruf, A. & Brinkerhoff, C. (July, 09, 2020). Let’s Talk about Race: A Panel discussion in Portuguese about the intersections of race and health in immigrant communities. Facebook Live. Available at https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=919377361903512&ref=search

International Woman Network in Solidarity Conference. Brinkerhoff, C. A. (March, 16, 2018). Panel presentation about the impact of immigration status and work environments on mental health of immigrant women. Massachusetts State House, Boston, MA.

Capetillo-Ponce, J., Brinkerhoff, C., Gecker, W., Andrews, A., Hanson, B., & Dewar, M. Visual Media and Urban Space: Finding the Connection Between Where We Live and What We See: Media and Gentrification in Jamaica Plain. A panel presentation for the X Annual Social Theory Forum (April, 24 and 25, 2013). Boston, MA.

Little, T.V., Torres, M.I., Gubrium, A., Brinkerhoff, C. & Manrique A.(2012). “Uno le transmite todo a los hijos”: Latino Parents’ Views of Their Roles as Sex Educators. A student poster presentation for the Fourth Biennial Siglo XXI Conference Sponsored by the Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR). City University of New York (CUNY), NY.

Grants

2020-2021 Graduate Research Assistant. Brugge D., Reisner E., Durant, J., Zamore, W., Lowe, L., Sprague Martinez, L.S., Kurtz-Rossi, S., Eliasziw, M., & Keppard, B. Near Highway Pollution: From Research to Action, National Institute of Environmental Health and Safety (R01ES026980), $2,260,000.

2013-2016 Graduate Research Assistant. Sprague Martinez, L.S., Negron, R. & Siqueira, C.E. Transnationalism, Networks and Culture: Implications for Health and Behavior, Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research & National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (R24MD00819), $493,873.

2014-2016 Post Master’s Supplement Recipient. Sprague Martinez, L.S., Negron, R., Siqueira, C.E. & Brinkerhoff, C.A. Diversity Supplement. Transnationalism, Networks and Culture: Implications for Health and Behavior, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, (R24MD00819-02S1), $109,316.

Awards and Honors

2014 NIMHD Diversity Supplement Awardee 2014 (3R24MD008819-02S1) – Boston, MA

2014 James E. Blackwell prize for graduate outstanding academic achievement – Boston, MA

2013 Mount Sinai International Exchange for Minority Students Fellowship – NY, NY/ RJ- Brazil

2011 Distinction in Sociology, University of Massachusetts – Boston, MA

2011 John F. Kennedy Award nominee, University of Massachusetts – Boston, MA

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