“It is unreasonable to expect that people will change their behavior easily when so many forces in the social, cultural, and physical environment conspire against such change.” - Institute of Medicine
Research Interests
Primary interest: Intersectionality of social determinants of health.
Secondary interest : Pedagogical effectiveness in STEM+H.
There is an imperative need for preventive strategies to combat today’s burden of chronic and emerging infectious diseases in the nation by addressing behavioral risk factors, social determinants, and policies. Thus, my research and scholarly contributions strive to be multidisciplinary, incorporating all key areas of the system in order to address health disparities among vulnerable populations, such as racial/ethnic minorities and Veterans.
Secondary interest : Pedagogical effectiveness in STEM+H.
There is an imperative need for preventive strategies to combat today’s burden of chronic and emerging infectious diseases in the nation by addressing behavioral risk factors, social determinants, and policies. Thus, my research and scholarly contributions strive to be multidisciplinary, incorporating all key areas of the system in order to address health disparities among vulnerable populations, such as racial/ethnic minorities and Veterans.
Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications Highlights
For full list of peer-reviewed publications, please check CV on Home page.
As interim director of Teaching Resource Center, I developed the inaugural the Pedagogy Cafe; weekly hour-long discussions among faculty on effective teaching strategies. This resulted in a cross-disciplinary research on student learning needs, preferences, and barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mshigeni S., Arroyo-Romano J., & Becerra M. (2022). “We don’t all have the privilege of having our own quiet place”: College Students in a Hispanic Serving Institution during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Accepted at Journal of Latinos and Education. Pre-print DOI: 10.1080/15348431.2022.2056463 Much of traditional teaching approach focuses on lecture in the classroom while homework away from it. This prevents students from getting immediate feedback and only relies on grading as a means of delayed feedback. As such, as the principal investigator of the study, we address the efficacy of flipped class in upper division epidemiology.
Becerra M & Mshigeni S. (2022). A quasi-experimental evaluation of a flipped class in a public health course. Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 5(1), Article 1. One of the major collaborative work at TRC was working with CSUSB library experts on Critical Information Literacy (CIL). I developed and co-led the Critical Information Literacy Leadership Institute, a competitively selected intensive training program for untenured program to become their college representatives of CIL. Schlesselman-Tarango, G. & Becerra, M.B. (2022). “The Critical Information Literacy Leadership Institute as Alternative to the One-Shot: Q & A with a Faculty Partner.” College & Research Libraries; 85(5). As a co-principal investigator (with Dr. BJ Becerra), we evaluated COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among young adults who are current tobacco users.
Becerra MB & Becerra BJ. (2022). COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Behavioral Risk Takers. Vaccines, 10(5), 767. |
As a principal investigator, I led a team (including students and alumni) to assess the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups, including public health professionals and college students.
Lee T, Becerra BJ, Becerra MB (2023). “Seems Like There Is No Stopping Point at All Whatsoever”: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Public Health Workforce Perception on COVID-19 Pandemic Management and Future Needs. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(14):6350. Becerra MB, Gumasana RJ, Mitchell JA, Sami S, Truong JB, Becerra BJ (2023). Triple Jeopardy of Minority Status, Social Stressors, and Health Disparities on Academic Performance of College Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(13):6243. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20136243 Becerra MB, Gumasana RJ, Mitchell JA, Truong JB & Becerra BJ. (2022). “COVID-19 pandemic-related sleep and mental health disparities among students at a Hispanic and minority-serving institution.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6900. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116900 Becerra MB, Roland TC, Avina RM, & Becerra BJ. (2022). "Unmet Healthcare Needs among College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for System-Wide and Structural Changes for Service Delivery." Healthcare, 10(8), 1360. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10081360 As a co-principal investigator (with Dr. BJ Becerra) I led a team (including alumna) to assess burden of secondhand smoke exposure among adults with current asthma in California.
Becerra BJ, Arias D, & Becerra MB. (2022). Sex-Specific Association between Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Asthma Severity among Adults with Current Asthma. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 5036 As part of a multi-institutional team (including alumnus), we address the mental health burden among inpatient HIV primary discharges, with emphasis on length of stay and patient disposition. Avina RM, Banta JE, Mataya R, Becerra BJ, & Becerra MB (2022). Burden of Mental Illness among Primary HIV Discharges: A Retrospective Analysis of Inpatient Data. Healthcare, 10(5), 804. |
Book Chapters on Health Status of South Asians in the United States
I was invited by South Asian Public Health Association to serve as co-author on two book chapters focused on cardiovascular disease and LGBTQ health of South Asians in the United States.
Health of South Asians in the United States: An Evidence-Based Guide for Policy and Program Development (2017). CRC Press. DOI: 10.1201/9781315366685
Health of South Asians in the United States: An Evidence-Based Guide for Policy and Program Development (2017). CRC Press. DOI: 10.1201/9781315366685
Research Mentorship
One of my major goals in research is to provide mentorship for rising public health researchers and help them develop their own research agenda and focus.
“True Mentors, don't make their mentees a clone of themselves” -Bernard Kelvin Clive
“True Mentors, don't make their mentees a clone of themselves” -Bernard Kelvin Clive
During my research projects, I strongly promote student involvement and thus my current and ongoing projects each have student researchers as co-authors/investigators. I am also a strong proponent of students developing their own research agenda, as compared to only focusing on research that fits within my primary areas of focus. As such, I mentor students to develop an interest in a field of research and help them develop research questions, identify the type of methodological approach, as well as provide them with grant support, when feasible, to ensure effective outcomes.
As a result, I have mentored over 40 undergraduate and graduate students for departmental honors, independent research projects, directed reading, graduate thesis, etc. I have received several competitive grants and have mentored several graduate (MPH) and undergraduate students in successful grant outcomes. I was further elected as mentor for National Public Health Law Network, Hispanic Serving Health Professions' Student Mentorship Program for Hispanic Health Research (SMPH2R), and Asian Pacific Islander Caucus for Public Health-American Public Health Association, during which I provided mentorship to both undergraduate and graduate students.
As a result, I have mentored over 40 undergraduate and graduate students for departmental honors, independent research projects, directed reading, graduate thesis, etc. I have received several competitive grants and have mentored several graduate (MPH) and undergraduate students in successful grant outcomes. I was further elected as mentor for National Public Health Law Network, Hispanic Serving Health Professions' Student Mentorship Program for Hispanic Health Research (SMPH2R), and Asian Pacific Islander Caucus for Public Health-American Public Health Association, during which I provided mentorship to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Check out the student researchers in action and their publications noted below!
Examples of publications resulting from research where I served as primary supervisor for students/alumni. Student/alumni names are underlined.
- Lee T, Becerra BJ, Becerra MB (2023). “Seems Like There Is No Stopping Point at All Whatsoever”: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Public Health Workforce Perception on COVID-19 Pandemic Management and Future Needs. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(14):6350.
- Becerra MB, Gumasana RJ, Mitchell JA, Sami S, Truong JB, Becerra BJ (2023). Triple Jeopardy of Minority Status, Social Stressors, and Health Disparities on Academic Performance of College Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(13):6243.
- Becerra M.B., Roland T.C., Avina R.M., & Becerra B.J. (2022). "Unmet Healthcare Needs among College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for System-Wide and Structural Changes for Service Delivery." Healthcare, 10(8), 1360.
- Becerra M.B., Gumasana R.J., Mitchell J.A., Truong J.B. & Becerra B.J. (2022). “COVID-19 pandemic-related sleep and mental health disparities among students at a Hispanic and minority-serving institution.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6900.
- Sarwar E., Moore C., Corral K., & Becerra M. (2022). “Social Media Content Analysis of Electronic Cigarette Information: Implications for Public Health Ethics – A Brief Report.” The Journal of Healthcare, Ethics and Administration, 8(1), 17–26.
- Avina R. M., Banta J. E., Mataya R., Becerra B. J., & Becerra M.B. (2022). “Burden of Mental Illness among Primary HIV Discharges: A Retrospective Analysis of Inpatient Data.” Healthcare, 10(5), 804.
- Becerra B. J., Arias D. & Becerra M. B. (2022). “Sex-Specific Association between Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Asthma Severity among Adults with Current Asthma”. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 5036.
- Becerra M.B., Rodriguez E.J., Avina R.M. & Becerra B.J. (2021). “Experiences of violence and mental health outcomes among Asian American transgender adults in the United States”. PLOS ONE, Mar 4;16(3):e0247812.
- Becerra M.B., Arias D., Cha L., & Becerra B.J. (2020). “Self-esteem among college students: The intersectionality of psychological distress, discrimination, and gender”. Journal of Public Mental Health, 20(1), 15–23.
- Ahmad, M., Becerra, B., Hernandez, D., Okpala, P., Olney, A., & Becerra, M.B. (2020). “’You Do It without Their Knowledge.’ Assessing Knowledge and Perception of Stealthing among College Students”. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(10), 3527.
- Becerra M.B., Avina R.M., Mshigeni S., & Becerra B.J. (2020) “Low human papillomavirus literacy among Asian-American women in California: An analysis of the California Health Interview Survey”. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 7(4), 678–686.
- Avina R.M., Mullen M., Mshigeni S., & Becerra M.B. (2020) “’I Actually Don’t Know What HIV Is”: A Mixed Methods Analysis of College Students’ HIV Literacy”. Diseases, 8(1):1.
- Lopez A., Becerra M.B., & Becerra B.J. (2019). “Maternal Mental Illness is Associated with Adverse Neonate Outcomes: An Analysis of Inpatient Data”. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(21).
- Becerra M.B., Avina R.M., Jackson M. & Becerra B.J. (2019). “Role of food insecurity in prescription delay among adults with asthma: Results from the California Health Interview Survey”. The Journal of Asthma, 58(2), 248–252.
- Chawdhury V. & Becerra M.B. (2019). “Health Disparities among South Asians: Is Food Insecurity the Missing Link?”. Journal of Primary Health Care and General Practice, 2(2):023. https://scientonline.org/open-access/health-disparities-among-south-asians-is-food-insecurity-the-missing-link.pdf
- Becerra M.B., Bol B., Granados R. & Hassija C (2018). “Sleepless in School: The Role of Social Determinants of Sleep Health among College Students”. Journal of American College Health, 68(2), 185–191.
- Becerra M.B. & Marmolejo C. (2018). “Discrimination Experiences of Female College Students: Implications for Mental Health Outcomes”. Women's Health and Gynecology, 4(1): 087. https://scientonline.org/open-access/discrimination-experiences-of-female-college-students-implications-for-mental-health-outcomes.pdf
- Avina R.M., Corral K., Becerra B.J. & Becerra M.B. (2018). “Burden of Clostridium Difficile and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus: An Assessment of Nationwide Inpatient Sample”. Journal of Prevention and Treatment of HIV, 2(2): 008. https://scientonline.org/open-access/burden-of-clostridium-difficile-and-methicillin-resistant-staphylococcus-aureus-an-assessment-of-nationwide-inpatient-sample.pdf
- Kakish H., Olney A. & Becerra M.B. (2018). “A qualitative analysis of body image on social media: Implications for public health practice”. Open Access Journal of Public Health, 2(2):011. https://scientonline.org/open-access/a-qualitative-analysis-of-body-image-on-social-media-implications-for-public-health-practice.pdf
- Jackson M., Becerra B.J., Marmolejo C., Avina R., Henley N. & Becerra M.B. (2017). “Prevalence and Correlates of Sleep Apnea Among US Male Veterans, 2005-2014”. Preventing Chronic Disease, 4:E47.
- Allen N.L., Becerra B.J. & Becerra M.B. (2017). “Associations between food insecurity and the severity of psychological distress among African-Americans”. Ethnicity and Health, 1-10.
- Becerra B.J., Arias D. & Becerra M.B. (2017). “Low Health Literacy among Immigrant Hispanics”. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 4(3):480-483.
- Becerra M.B., Allen N. & Becerra B.J. (2016). “Food insecurity and low self-efficacy are associated with increased healthcare utilization among adults with Type II diabetes mellitus”. Diabetes and its Complications, 30(8):1488-1493.
- Becerra B.J., Sis-Medina R.C., Reyes A. & Becerra M.B. (2015). “Association Between Food Insecurity and Serious Psychological Distress Among Hispanic Adults Living in Poverty”. Preventing Chronic Disease, 12, E206.
- Sarwar E., Arias D., Becerra B.J. & Becerra M.B. (2015). “Sociodemographic Correlates of Dietary Practices among Asian-Americans: Results from the California Health Interview Survey”. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 2(4), 494–500.
- Arias D., Becerra B.J. & Becerra M.B. (2015). “Racial and ethnic differences in asthma and mental health among US adults: results from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health”. The Journal of Asthma, 52(7), 715–720.
- Becerra B.J., Scroggins C.M. & Becerra M.B. (2014). “Association between asthma and obesity among immigrant Asian Americans, California Health Interview Survey, 2001-2011”. Preventing Chronic Disease, 11, E209.