Dr. Montero-Zamora's research focuses on the influence of context, parents, and peers on Latino youth substance use and mental health. Specifically, he studies how factors such as cultural stressors (e.g., perceived discrimination), migration, and social norms shape family dynamics, resulting in youth antisocial and prosocial behaviors. Through a comprehensive exploration of these etiological relationships, including their potential variations among Latino subgroups, Dr. Montero-Zamora's research centers on improving the development, implementation, and evaluation of culturally adapted evidence-based interventions tailored to serve Latino families in the United States and Latin America.
Before joining UT, Dr. Montero-Zamora earned his Ph.D. in Prevention Science and Community Health at the University of Miami, followed by his postdoctoral training as a UT-Austin Provost's Early Career Postdoctoral Fellow. Dr. Montero-Zamora has extensive research experience in Latin America, especially in Mexico, where he worked and earned his Master's in Epidemiology from the National Institute of Public Health in 2016. Dr. Montero-Zamora's academic journey also includes a Master's in Dentistry from the Complutense University of Madrid in 2012 and a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Costa Rica in 2010.
Ph.D. in Prevention Science & Community Health, University of Miami (Florida, United States), 2021
M.S. in Epidemiology, Health Metrics Major, National Institute of Public Health of Mexico (INSP; Morelos, Mexico), 2016
M.S. in Dentistry, Major in Prevention Science, Complutense University of Madrid (Madrid, Spain), 2012
B.S. in Dental Surgery, Major in Surgery, University of Costa Rica (San José, Costa Rica), 2010
Conference Abstract Reviewer, Abstract Reviews, Society of Prevention Research(2020 - Present)
Chair, Research Collaboration Working Group, International Committee, Society of Prevention Research(2019 - Present)
Member, International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP)(2019 - Present)
Member, National Hispanic Science Network(2018 - Present)
Member, Society of Prevention Research(2017 - Present)
Collaborator, Global Burden of Disease Collaborator Network, Institute of Health Metrics & Evaluation(2015 - Present)
Member, College of Dental Surgeons of Costa Rica(2010 - Present)
Montero-Zamora, P. (2023). Translating Evidence-based Substance Use Prevention Interventions in Latino America and the Caribbean: The Key Role of Cultural Adaptation. Journal of Adolescent Health, 73(3), 401–402. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.06.003..
Montero-Zamora, P., Vos, S., Unger, J.B., Zeledon, I., Lee, R., Soto, D.W., Brown, E.C., Duque, M., Garcia, M.F., Scaramutti, C., Ertanir, B. & Schwartz, S.J. (2023). Perceived Negative Political Climate Among Hispanic/Latino Adolescents Before and After the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election: Associations with Internalizing Symptoms and Substance Use. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 94(101790). doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2023.101790.
Montero-Zamora, P., Salas-Wright, C.P., Brown, E.C., Garcia, M.F., Scaramutti, C., Rodríguez, J., Bates, M.M., Maldonado-Molina, M.M. & Schwartz, S.J. (2023). Hurricane stress, cultural stress, and mental health among Hurricane Maria migrants in the U.S mainland. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 93(3), 211224. doi:10.1037/ort0000669.
Montero-Zamora, P., Brown, E.C., Ringwalt, C.L., Schwartz, S.J., Prado, G. & Ortiz-Garcia, J. (2023). Etiologic mechanisms in an adapted family-based preventive intervention for underage alcohol use in Mexico: Results of an exploratory pilot study.. Family Process, 62(2), 609–623. doi:10.1111/famp.12800.
Montero-Zamora, P., Brown, E.C., Ringwalt, C.L., Schwartz, S.J., Prado, G. & Ortiz-Garcia, J. (2022). Predictors of engagement and attendance of a family-based prevention program for underage drinking in Mexico. Prevention Science, 23(2), 237–247. doi:10.1007/s11121-021-01301-z.
Schwartz, S.J., Montero-Zamora, P., Salas-Wright, C.P., Brown, E.C., Garcia, M.F., Scaramutti, C., Rodríguez, J., Piñeros-Leaño, M., Bates, M.M. & Maldonado-Molina, M.M. (2022). After Hurricane Maria: Effects of disaster trauma on Puerto Rican survivors on the U.S. mainland. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy., Advance online publi. doi:10.1037/tra0001371.
Pinedo, M., Montero-Zamora, P., Pasch, K.E. & Schwartz, S.J. (2022). Immigration policies as political determinants of alcohol and drug misuse among US-born Latinos. Journal of International Drug Policy, 106(103754). doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103754.
Brown, E.C., Montero-Zamora, P., Ortíz-Garcia, J., Aviles, K., Beaulieu, D. & Haggerty, K.P. (2022). Development and implementation of Businesses That Care in Zacatecas, Mexico. Prevention Science, 23(4), 663–673. doi:10.1007/s11121-021-01312-w.
Montero-Zamora, P., St. Fleur, R.G., Mejía-Trujillo, J. & Brown, E.C. (2021). Contextual fit of a family evidence-based intervention for preventing youth alcohol use in Mexico. Journal of Primary Prevention, 42(5), 441457. doi:10.1007/s10935-021-00640-5.
Montero-Zamora, P., Reyes-Rodríguez, M.F., Cardozo-Macías, F., Brown, E.C., Pérez-Gómez, A., MejíaTrujillo, J., Toro, J. & Paredes-Aguilar, M. (2020). Adolescent substance use and its association with risk and protective factors. An exploratory analysis of the large-scale school survey of Comunidades Que se Cuidan, Colombia. Adicciones, 32(2), 105–115. doi:10.20882/adicciones.1083.
Health Disparities on Hispanic/Latino Parents in the U.S. and Mexico
This study aims to identify predictors of psychological distress and hazardous alcohol use in a sample of Hispanic/Latino parents with children aged 8 to 16 years residing in the US and Mexico. Specifically, we want to examine the predictive ability of specific parental characteristics and behaviors linked to youth antisocial behavior, such as (1) sociodemographic factors (e.g., age, gender, education), (2) family risk- and protective factors (e.g., family conflict, family functioning), (3) perceived stress, (4) cultural factors (e.g., discrimination, the context of reception), and (5) disclosure and exposure to alcohol-related content on social media.
Analysis of the Third National Youth Survey of Costa Rica, 2018
This study will use de-identified data from the Third National Youth Survey of Costa Rica (NYS-CRC), 2018. Data were obtained from the Government of Costa Rica (Youth Institute) upon previous and formal request. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to explore the prevalence and predictors of health behaviors in Costa Rican youths.
International Collaborative Prevention Research Award, Society for Prevention Research (2023)
Early Career Prevention Scientist Training and Mentoring Program, Society for Prevention Research (2023)
Abstract of Distinction, Society for Prevention Research (2022)
Provost's Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowship, College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin (2021)
Provost's Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowship, College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin (2021)
Award of Academic Merit, Graduate School, University of Miami (2021)
Award of Academic Merit (Mención Honorífica), School of Public Health, National Institute of Public Health of México (2016)
Fellow of the Mixed Scholarships for International Research, National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (2016)
The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Workshop Fellow, Inter-American Development Bank (2015)
Fellow of the Incentive Fund for Graduate Studies Scholarships, National Council for Scientific and Technological Research of Costa Rica (2014)
