Iveris L. Martinez, PhD, MA
Assistant Professor, Medicine

Academic Degrees
Joint PhD, Anthropology and Population & Family Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
MA, Anthropology, Johns Hopkins University
BA, Sociology/Anthropology, Florida International University

Departmental Address
2024 E. Monument St. Ste. 2-700
Baltimore, MD 21205
Tel:  410-502-0426 
Fax: 410-614-9625
imartinez@jhmi.edu

Summary of Research Activities

Dr. Martinez’ research focuses on the structural and ideological factors influencing health throughout the life course, with an emphasis in aging, immigration and Latin American populations.  Her training is both in qualitative and quantitative methods, with a focus on demography and aging.  Her doctoral dissertation, “Aging in Exile,” looked at the role of experiences of migration, intergenerational relations and historical ideologies in well-being among Cuban elders in South Florida. As a Kellogg Community Health Scholar (2002-2003) she initiated a participatory research project among Latinos in Baltimore City, assessing the current capacity of health and social services for addressing community’s needs, beliefs and priorities.  She is currently engaged in research on the role of social engagement in the pathway to disability and ‘successful aging’ among older women, as well as motivations and barriers for engagement in social activities, including voluntarism. She is a co-investigator on the Women’s Health and Aging Study II, a longitudinal population and clinical study looking at the pathways to disability in community-dwelling women in East Baltimore.  She is also co-investigator, and Director of Evaluations, on the Experience Corps, a community-based intervention research project promoting healthier communities by placing seniors as volunteers in inner-city schools.  She has served as a research consultant on Aging and Health at the Pan American Health Organization and Oregon’s Senior and Disabled Services, and has recently been appointed as a member of the Baltimore City Commission on Aging and Retirement Education.

Research Interests: successful aging, social engagement, mental health, medical anthropology, qualitative methods in public health, community-based participatory research, and minority & immigrant populations.

Select Publications

Martinez IL, Carter-Pokras O “Assessing Health Issues and Barriers to Health in a Heterogeneous Latino Community” Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved 2006; Nov; 17(4):899-909.

Martinez IL, Fried L, Frick K, Glass TA,  Carlson MC, Tanner E, Ricks M “Engaging Older Adults in High Impact Volunteering that Enhances Health: Recruitment and Retention in the Experience Corps™ Program in Baltimore” Journal of Urban Health 2006;83(5):941-53.

Carter-Pokras OD, Solano H, Brown PB, Rivera I, Martinez I, Nieves C, Luciani I. General Health Assessment of Latinos in Baltimore. Am J Epidemiol 2005;161(Suppl):S139.

Martinez, IL. Aportes metodológicos en el estudio de apoyo social y calidad de vida para los adultos mayores.  Chapter 9 In: Golpe LI, Herrán CA, Arias CJ, eds. Sistemas Formales e Informales de Apoyo Social para los Adultos Mayores, Mar del Plata, Argentina: Ediciones Suárez, Colección Apoyo Social. November 2005.

Martinez, IL. The Elder in the Cuban-American Family: Making Sense of the Real and Ideal, Journal of Comparative Family Studies. 2002;33(3): 359-375.

Peláez, M, Martinez, I, Equity and Systems of Intergenerational Transfers in Latin America and the Caribbean, Pan American Journal of Public Health. 2002; 11(5-6):439-443.   

Martinez, I, Peláez, M, PROMOVER/PROMOTING a Way of Life for Older Adults: Regional Blueprint for the Promotion of Physical Activity, Washington, DC: Pan American Health Organization, 2002.  

Dunlop BD, Rothman MB, Condon KM, Hebert KS, Martinez, IL.  Elder Abuse: Risk Factors and Use of Case Data to Improve Policy and Practice. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect. 2000; 12(3-4):95-122.

Honors and Awards

National Institute on Aging Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-related Research (2006-2007)

Gerontological Society of America, Recipient of the National Academy of an Aging Society Civic Engagement in Older Adults Junior Scholar Award (2005)

W. K. Kellogg Community Health Scholars Program Post-doctoral Fellow (2002-2003)

National Institute on Aging R03 Dissertation Grant (1999-2001)

AARP Gerontological Society of America Pre-doctoral Minority Leadership Fellow (1997)