Dr. Pinedo has an invested interest in better understanding the intersection between migration and health. Though migrant health has become an important facet of health research, migration has rarely been examined as a social determinant of health. His work addresses this critical area by focusing on how different migration experiences contribute to health disparities, particularly among Latino populations. Specifically, his work investigates how social- and structural-level factors associated with migration to the US; voluntary and forced migration (e.g., deportation); domestic migration within Mexico; and migration to high-risk environments (e.g., settings with increased availability of alcohol and drugs) relate to the epidemiology of substance abuse, HIV risk, and related harms. A large proportion of his work has focused on Mexican migrants residing on both sides of the US-Mexico border, a high-risk region for alcohol and drug abuse and HIV. Overall, his research underscores the importance of migration-related factors in shaping health behaviors, risk practices, and health outcomes.
Prior to joining UT, Dr. Pinedo received his PhD in Global Health from the UC San Diego and completed his postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley. He also previously earned his Master in Public Health from UC Berkeley.
B.A. in Latin American Studies (Honors with Distinction), University of California, San Diego
B.S. in Psychology, University of California, San Diego
M.P.H. in Health & Social Behavior, University of California, Berkeley
Ph.D. in Global Health, University of California, San Diego
Dr. Pinedo's expertise is focused on how migration-related factors contribute to health disparities related to substance abuse, HIV risk, and related harms among Latino populations in the United States and Mexico.
Pinedo, M., Zemore, SE., Cherpitel, CJ. & Caetano, R. (2017). Acculturation and alcohol use: the role of environmental contexts. Handbook of Acculturation and Health. Oxford University Press (pp. 239). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. (View)
Pinedo, M., Beletsky, L., Alamillo, N. & Ojeda, VD. (2017). Health-damaging policing practices among persons who inject drugs in Mexico: Are deported migrants at greater risk?. International Journal of Drug Policy(46), 41–46. (View)
Pinedo, M., Kang Sim, E., Espinoza, RA. & Zuñiga, ML. (2015). An exploratory study of internal migration and substance use among an indigenous community in Southern Mexico. Family & Community Health, 1(39), 24–30. (View)
Pinedo, M., Burgos, JL., Vargas-Ojeda, A., Fitzgerald, DS. & Ojeda, VD. (2015). The role of visual markers in police victimization among structurally vulnerable persons in Tijuana, Mexico. International Journal of Drug Policy, 26(5), 501–508. (View)
Pinedo, M., Burgos, JL. & Ojeda, VD. (2014). A critical review of social and structural conditions that influence HIV risk among Mexican deportees. Microbes and Infection, 5(16), 379–390. (View)
Pinedo, M., Burgos, JL., Robertson, AM., Vera, A., Remedios, L. & Ojeda, VD. (2014). Perceived risk of HIV infection among deported male injection drug users in Tijuana, Mexico.. Global Public Health, 4(9), 436–454. (View)
Pinedo, M., Campos, Y., Leal, D., Fregoso, J., Goldenberg, SM. & Zuñiga, ML. (2014). Alcohol use behaviors among indigenous migrants: A transnational study on communities of origin and destination. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health(16), 348–355. (View)
Pinedo, M.., Campos, Y.., Leal, D.., Fregoso, J.., Goldberg, S. M.. & Zuñiga, M. L.. (2014). Alcohol use behaviors among indigenous migrants: A transnational study on communities of origin and destination. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health(16), 348–355.
Pinedo, M.., Zenire, S. E.., Cherpitel, C. J.. & Caetano, R.. (n.d.). Acculturation and alcohol use: the role of environmental contexts. Handbook of Acculturation and Health.
Acculturation and alcohol use: the role of environmental contexts
This study will examine if and how the relationship between acculturation and alcohol use disorders (AUD) differs by environmental contexts among Mexican-origin adult participants. (Role: Principal Investigator; NIMHD)
Barriers to specialty substance abuse treatment services
This pilot study aims to gain greater understanding of barriers to specialty substance abuse treatment; 2) to compare barriers to specialty substance abuse treatment by race/ethnicity; and 3) using findings from Aims 1 & 2, to develop a new quantitative scale to assess barriers to specialty substance abuse treatment. (PI: Kerr, NIAAA, Role: Pilot Principal Investigator)
Understanding Areas of Concentrated Alcohol and Drug Problems at the US-Mexico Border
This Research Project extends analyses of the US-Mexico Study of Alcohol and Related Conditions (UMSARC), a large epidemiological study conducted from 2011-13 that targeted the border region and sampled both the US and Mexico. Project aims are to better characterize, contextualize, and explain the observed geographic variation across UMSARC sites toward a better understanding of how and why substance use problems cluster in some, but not all, border areas. (PI: Zemore; Role: Co-Investigator)
Loan Repayment Program Award, National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (2016 - 2018)
Interdisciplinary Research Training Institute on Hispanic Drug Abuse Fellowship, National Institute on Drug Abuse (2016 - 2018)
NIAAA T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship Postdoctoral Fellowship, Alcohol Research Group & UC Berkeley (2015 - 2017)
National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research, NIDA (2013 - 2015)
Migration and Health Lab
The Migration and Health Lab focuses on better understanding how migration impacts the health of populations, primarily among Latino communities in the US and Mexico. Our work underscores the importance of migration-related factors in shaping vulnerability to alcohol and substance abuse, HIV, and related harms.
