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Stephanie Silvera
Professor, Public Health, College for Community Health
- Office:
- University Hall 4161
- Email:
- silveras@montclair.edu
- Phone:
- 973-655-2125
- Degrees:
- BA, Rutgers University
- MS, Rutgers University
- PhD, Yale University
- vCard:
- Download vCard
Profile
Dr. Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera is a Professor of Public Health at Montclair State University, where she has taught since 2006. She holds a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from Yale University and advanced degrees in Nutritional Science and Biology from Rutgers University.
Dr. Silvera’s interdisciplinary expertise bridges epidemiology, nutrition, and public health, with a research portfolio that centers on health inequities and the social determinants of health. Her scholarly work spans over two decades and includes extensive publications in high-impact journals with a focus on elucidating and addressing health disparities and improving access to preventive healthcare among underserved populations. She has led and collaborated on research funded at the national and state levels, and her work has been widely presented at national conferences.
Dr. Silvera is also the co-Vice Chair of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine's Roundtable on Obesity Solutions and the Secretary of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior.
In addition to her academic work, Dr. Silvera has served as a public voice during the COVID-19 pandemic, making over 400 appearances across television, radio, and print media to help lay audiences navigate evolving scientific guidance and public health policies.
Dr. Silvera's Press Room information: https://www.montclair.edu/newscenter/experts/dr-stephanie-silvera/
Specialization
Dr. Silvera's research has largely focused on racial/ethnic disparities in both access to health services and in related health outcomes. Dr. Silvera has extensive training and experience in research methodology and teaches courses in epidemiology, research methods, and structural inequalities in health.
Most recently she has served as a source for translating the latest epidemiological information regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the impact this illness has had on disenfranchised communities.
Resume/CV
Office Hours
Fall
- Monday
- 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
- Available for student office hours
- Tuesday
- 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
- Available in the Dean's office
- Thursday
- 8:30 am - 12:30 am
- Available in the Dean's office
Documents
Research Projects
Perceptions of campus climate related to sexual violence
With Drs. Lieberman, Goldfarb, and Birnbaum, a campus-wide survey was conducted on a diverse college campus, to assess students’ perceptions of sexual violence and their trust in the institution’s response to sexual violence.
Exploring Sociodemographic and Behavioral Factors Underlying Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Cancer Prevention Behaviors In New Jersey
Breast and cervical cancer are leading causes of cancer for women in the United States, respectively. Non-Hispanic Black women tend to have lower rates of breast cancer incidence compared to Non-Hispanic White women, but they are more likely to die from breast cancer. Hispanics, in contrast, tend have lower cancer incidence and mortality rates than both Black and White populations for female breast cancers, but higher cervical cancer incidence rates. Both non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic women have higher age- and stage- adjusted cervical cancer mortality rates, compared to non-Hispanic White. These disparities are explained, in part, by unequal access to cancer screening across socioeconomic and racial groups. There is a need to expand the literature to examine the roles of individual- and area-level socioeconomic and demographic characteristics on cancer prevention behaviors, little is known about the perception of access to cancer screening. This study assessed the association between race/ethnicity, perceived access to screening, and individual-level socioeconomic (SES) and demographic factors and area-level characteristics, including SES, availability of low- or no-cost cervical cancer screening and mammography, on screening behavior using a cross-sectional study of low-income women enrolled in the New Jersey Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Education (SNAP-Ed) or Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Programs (EFNEP).