Maribel Campos Rivera was appointed as a member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition on March 24, 2023, for a 2-year term.
Dr. Rivera is a Physician Scientist, Board-Certified in Pediatrics, Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine and Obesity Medicine, with degrees in Health Care Administration and Clinical Research. She’s a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Leaders alumna with over 20 years of experience implementing diverse research designs. As a professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, she has mentored trainees at different stages of training and backgrounds, giving them the opportunity to meet their community and be better equipped to address social determinants of health. Her research work focuses on the effects of fetal and early childhood exposures on health across the lifespan. Her trajectory includes community action projects fostering a culture of health through system alignment, science education, and interdisciplinary care. Her team specializes in collaborating with community-based and professional organizations toward the development and implementation of evidence-based solutions that are place based and community informed. Her role within the Voices for Healthy Kids community, supported by the American Heart Association, is just one example of her contributions toward health equity. Rivera is also the Founder and Director of the Center for Community Outreach for Health Across the Lifespan and a member of the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rico College of Physicians and Surgeons as President of the Research and Technological Development Institute. Her commitment to encouraging the adoption of healthy lifestyles fueled her transition from NICU Medical Director to Founder of Emerge, a public benefit corporation dedicated to family-based holistic health care.
