Desdamona Rios, Ph.D.

Biography

Desdamona Rios is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Latina/o and Latin American Studies (LLAS) program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She holds a joint doctorate in Psychology and Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan. Her current projects examine relationships between culturally relevant cues in academic contexts for at-risk Latinx American high school students, and community-based after school academic enrichment programs for children of color.

Dr. Rios is the recipient of three national teaching awards from the American Psychological Association for the Teaching of Psychology (Division 2), the Society for the Psychological  Study of Social Issues (Division 9), and the Association for Women in Psychology (Division 35), as well as a legacy award winner for her work with underrepresented groups in academia. Dr. Rios sits on the board of directors for a Houston based non-profit, Initiatives for Healthy Communities, which sponsors the after school educational enrichment program in government subsidized housing communities in Houston’s Fifth Ward.

LLAS related classes: PSYC 4349, Psychology of Latina/os in the United States

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