Brian M. Rivers, PhD, MPH

The focus of Dr. River’s research is men’s oncology, with a particular focus on medically underserved populations and cancer health disparities.  Over the past decade, Dr. Rivers’s efforts have focused primarily on community-based participatory research and implementation of evidenced-based behavioral and educational interventions. Based on the intrinsic linkages of culture, literacy, and communication channels, the utility of emerging technologies and the application of the community health worker (CHW) model among minority men is an integral thread in Dr. Rivers’ work. This approach has been actualized in several key research projects involving the application of the CHW model among African-American men in select community venues, barbershops and churches.  Recent NIH funding has allowed Dr. Rivers to better understand the mechanisms of the informed decision making process for prostate cancer screening through the delivery of community-based education. A second study Dr. Rivers leads seeks to establish a church-based educational program, using the CHW model, for cancer survivors and their spouses to address their unmet educational and psychosocial needs.

• Wilson DS, Dapic V, Sultan DH, August EM, Green BL, Roetzheim R, Rivers B. Establishing the Infrastructure to Conduct Comparative Effectiveness Research Toward the Elimination of Disparities: A Community-Based Participatory Research Framework. Health Promot Pract. 2013 Feb. Pubmedid: 23431128.
• Davis JL, Grant CG, Rivers BM, Rivera-Colón V, Ramos R, Antolino P, Harris E, Green BL. The prostate cancer screening controversy: addressing bioethical concerns at a community health promotion event for men. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2012 Nov;23(4 Suppl):11-14. Pubmedid: 23124496.
• Grant CG, Davis JL, Rivers BM, Rivera-Colón V, Ramos R, Antolino P, Harris E, Green BL. The men's health forum: an initiative to address health disparities in the community. J Community Health. 2012 Aug;37(4):773-780. Pubmedid: 22105601.
• Rivers BM, August EM, Quinn GP, Gwede CK, Pow-Sang JM, Green BL, Jacobsen PB. Understanding the Psychosocial Issues of African American Couples Surviving Prostate Cancer. J Cancer Educ. 2012 Apr. Pubmedid: 22544536.
• Faul LA, Rivers B, Shibata D, Townsend I, Cabrera P, Quinn GP, Jacobsen PB. Survivorship care planning in colorectal cancer: feedback from survivors & providers. J Psychosoc Oncol. 2012 Mar;30(2):198-216. Pubmedid: 22416956.
• Wells KJ, Meade CD, Calcano E, Lee JH, Rivers D, Roetzheim RG. Innovative approaches to reducing cancer health disparities: the Moffitt Cancer Center Patient Navigator Research Program. J Cancer Educ. 2011 Dec;26(4):649-657. Pubmedid: 21573740.
• Luque JS, Rivers BM, Gwede CK, Kambon M, Green BL, Meade CD. Barbershop communications on prostate cancer screening using barber health advisers. Am J Mens Health. 2011 Mar;5(2):129-139. Pubmedid: 20413392.
• Rivers BM, August EM, Gwede CK, Hart A, Donovan KA, Pow-Sang JM, Quinn GP. Psychosocial issues related to sexual functioning among African-American prostate cancer survivors and their spouses. Psychooncology. 2011 Jan;20(1):106-110. Pubmedid: 20187071.
• Pal T, Rocchio E, Garcia A, Rivers D, Vadaparampil S. Recruitment of black women for a study of inherited breast cancer using a cancer registry-based approach. Genet Test Mol Biomarkers. 2011 Jan-Feb;15(1-2):69-77. Pubmedid: 21117951.
• Luque JS, Rivers BM, Kambon M, Brookins R, Green BL, Meade CD. Barbers against prostate cancer: a feasibility study for training barbers to deliver prostate cancer education in an urban African American community. J Cancer Educ. 2010 Mar;25(1):96-100. Pubmedid: 20146044. Pmcid: PMC2862382.
• Gwede CK, Ward BG, Luque JS, Vadaparampil ST, Rivers D, Martinez-Tyson D, Noel-Thomas S, Meade CD. Application of Geographic Information Systems and Asset Mapping to Facilitate Identification of Colorectal Cancer Screening Resources. Online J Public Health Inform. 2010 Jan;2(1):2893. Pubmedid: 20976019.
• Odedina FT, Akinremi TO, Chinegwundoh F, Roberts R, Yu D, Reams RR, Freedman ML, Rivers B, Green BL, Kumar N. Prostate cancer disparities in Black men of African descent: a comparative literature review of prostate cancer burden among Black men in the United States, Caribbean, United Kingdom, and West Africa. Infect Agent Cancer. 2009;4 Suppl 1:S2. Pubmedid: 19208207. Pmcid: PMC2638461.
• Hart A J, Underwood SM, Smith WR, Bowen DJ, Rivers BM, Jones RA, Parker D, Allen JC. Recruiting African-American barbershops for prostate cancer education. J Natl Med Assoc. 2008 Sep;100(9):1012-1020. Pubmedid: 18807428.
• Jones R, Underwood S, Rivers B. Reducing prostate cancer morbidity and mortality in african american men: issues and challenges. Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2007 Dec;11(6):865-872. Pubmedid: 18063545.
• McCallum JM, Arekere DM, Green BL, Katz RV, Rivers BM. Awareness and knowledge of the U.S. Public Health Service syphilis study at Tuskegee: implications for biomedical research. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2006 Nov;17(4):716-733. Pubmedid: 17242526. Pmcid: PMC1828138.
• Green B, Lewis R, Wang M, Person S, Rivers B. Powerlessness, destiny, and control: the influence on health behaviors of African Americans. J Community Health. 2004 Feb;29(1):15-27. Pubmedid: 14768932.