De La Rosa, Mario, Ph.D. Director, Center for Research on U.S. Latino HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse Professor, College of Social Work, Justice, and Public Affairs Office: PCA 354B Tel: (305) 348-5794 Fax: (305) 348-7405 Email: delarosa@fiu.edu

Dr. De La Rosa is a Professor of Social Work at the Social Work, Justice, and Public Affairs (SWJPA). Before joining FIU, Dr. De La Rosa was a visiting Research Associate Professor at Boston University’s School of Social Work, a Health Science Administrator with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University's David Rockefeller Center for Latin America Studies. He holds a doctorate degree in Social Work from Ohio State University.

Dr. De La Rosa’s program of research focuses on Latino substance abuse, substance use as a risk factor for HIV/AIDS, violence, delinquency, and cross-cultural issues. He is currently the Director of two R24 Centers of Excellence, each funded by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The NCMHD funded center is called the “Latino HIV/AIDS Behavioral Science Research Center” (R24-MD000498), and its principal aim is to develop the research infrastructure of FIU on the extent of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among the Latino populations. The NIDA funded center is called the “Latino Minority Drug Abuse Research Program” (1R24 DA14260-1A1). This is a research infrastructure building minority development research grant (MIDARP), whose aim is to conduct high quality and rigorous research on drug abuse among the Latino populations in South Florida.

One of Dr. De La Rosa’s pilot projects in the NIDA funded Center investigates the inter-generational transmission of drug use between Latina mothers and daughters. The primary objective of this study is to identify the risk and protective factors that influence the intergenerational transmission of drug-using behaviors between Latina mothers and daughters. As part of this study, four types of mother/ daughter pairs were recruited in Miami Dade County: (1) drug-using mothers and daughters; (2) drug-using mothers and non-using daughters; (3) non-using mothers and drug-using daughters; and (4) non-using mothers and daughters. The interviews with these pairs explored, among others, the primacy of the family and its role as a social support system; family structure, socioeconomic status; religiosity; and the effects of acculturation levels on drug use.

Research Support
Principal Investigator. Latino Minority Drug Abuse Research Center. National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Health (5R24DA014260). May 2003- April 2008.

Principal Investigator. Latino HIV/AIDS Behavioral Science Research Center. National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health (5R24MD000498). September 2003- August 2007.

Selected Publications
De la Rosa, M., Rice, C., & Rugh, D. (2006). “An Analysis of Risk Domains Associated with Drug Transitions of Active Latino Gang Members,” Journal of Addictive Diseases, 42 (4): 81-90.

Hlaing, W., De La Rosa, M., Niyonsenga, T. (2006). “Human Immunodeficiency (HIV) and Substance Use Risk Behaviors Among Tri-Ethnic Adolescents in Florida,” AIDS in Society.

Powell, W., Hollis, C., De La Rosa, M., Helitzer, D., & Dekersen, D. (2006). “Creating a New Mexico Infrastructure to Build Oral Health Capacity and Reduce Oral Health Disparities among Underserved and Uninsured Populations: An Academic Health Center Response to Community Voices,” Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 17 (1): 95-110.

Warner, L. A., Valdez, A., Vega, W. A., Canino, G., De La Rosa, M., & Turner, J. (2006). “Drug Abuse among Hispanics in the United States: An Epidemiologic Review and Research Agenda,” Journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 84 (1): S8-S16.

De La Rosa, M., Rugh, D. & Rojas, P. (2005). “Substance Abuse among Puerto Rican and Dominican Gang Members in a Small City Setting,” Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 5 (1 & 2): 23-43.