Adolfo Cuevas
Adolfo Cuevas
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Associate Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences
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Professional overview
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Adolfo G. Cuevas, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at NYU's School of Global Public Health, where he also co-directs the BioSocial Research Initiative (BSRI). His research examines how psychosocial stressors influence health across the lifespan, using epidemiological, psychological, and biological approaches to understand these relationships.
Dr. Cuevas currently leads three NIH-funded projects, totaling nearly $7 million, that investigate the effect of psychosocial stressors on biological dysregulation. These studies investigate how psychosocial stress contributes to biological dysregulation. His first project (R01DK137805; 2024–2029) addresses a key gap in the field by examining how social adversity affects allostatic load across three life course stages and identifying gene expression pathways that link adversity to biological stress. It is also the first study to assess how social relationships—such as kinship and community ties—buffer the impact of social adversity on gene expression and stress physiology. His two additional projects (R01DK137246 and R01MD019251) explore the role of neighborhood and interpersonal stress in obesity across developmental stages, from childhood to older adulthood, with a focus on molecular indicators of stress-related proinflammatory biology that may contribute to adipose tissue formation.
Dr. Cuevas’ work has appeared in leading journals including Annals of Internal Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, and American Journal of Public Health. It has also been featured by media outlets such as Forbes, USA Today, and NPR’s Code Switch.
In recognition of his contributions to research on stress and health, Dr. Cuevas has received numerous honors, including the Herbert Weiner Early Career Award, the National Minority Quality Forum’s 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health Award, and the Diversity Scholar Award from the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard University.
Prior to joining NYU, he was the Gerald R. Gill Assistant Professor of Race, Culture, and Society at Tufts University. He earned his PhD and MS in applied psychology from Portland State University and completed postdoctoral training at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
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Education
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PhD, Applied Psychology, Portland State UniversityMS, Applied Psychology, Portland State UniversityBA, Psychology, City College of New York, 2010Certificate, Applied Biostatistics, Harvard Catalyst
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Honors and awards
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National Institute of Health Loan Repayment-Renewal (2021)Diversity Scholar Award, Nutrition Obesity Research Center, Harvard University (2019)National Institute of Health Loan Repayment (2019)40 Under 40 Leaders in Health, National Minority Quality Forum (2018)Neubauer Faculty Fellowship, Tufts University (2017)Portland African American Leadership Fellowship (2013)National Cancer Institute R25E Summer Research Experience, The University of Texas MD, Anderson’s Cancer Prevention Research Training Program (2012)Bernard R. Ackerman Foundation Award for Outstanding Scholarship (2010)Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge Graduate of the Year (2010)City University of New York Pipeline Fellowship (2009)City University of New York Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) Scholarship (2009)Psi Chi Honor Society (2009)Dean’s List Scholar (20082009)Chi Alpha Epsilon (XAE) Honor Society (2008)City College of New York’s William Wright Scholarship (2008)City College of New York Community Service Award (2008)SEEK Scholarship (2008)
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Areas of research and study
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ObesityPsychosocial StressRacial/Ethnic Disparities
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Publications
Publications
Neighborhood Opportunity and Biological Aging: Results From the Midlife in the United States
AbstractCuevas, A., Bather, J. R., Kranz, E., Zhang, X., & Cole, S. W. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Biopsychosocial Science and MedicineVolume
87Issue
8Page(s)
520Abstract~Nonrandom Missingness in Child Race and Ethnicity Records and the US Federal Data Standards: Pooled Analysis of Community-Based Child Health Studies
AbstractKrobath, D. M., Wilson, N. L., Cuevas, A., Naumova, E. N., Sacheck, J. M., Tyler, S. A., & Economos, C. D. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
JMIR Public Health and SurveillanceVolume
11Page(s)
e65660Abstract~Perceived discrimination and monocyte abundance in older adults: Findings from the Health and Retirement Study
AbstractCuevas, A. G., Bather JR, Kranz, E., Cole, S. W., & Cuevas, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
PsychoneuroendocrinologyVolume
180Page(s)
107534Abstract~Perceived racial discrimination over the life course and financial stress
AbstractOdumegwu, J. N., Bather, J. R., Cuevas, A., Rhodes-Bratton, B., & Goodman, M. S. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Discover Social Science and HealthVolume
5Issue
1Page(s)
114Abstract~Place-based opportunities and physiological stress: understanding neighborhood-level disparities in allostatic load
AbstractCrump, A. A., Bather, J. R., Villalonga-Olives, E., Kranz, E. O., & Cuevas, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Health & PlaceVolume
95Page(s)
103532Abstract~Racial Discrimination and Substance Use : Results from a 2023 Survey of Racism and Public Health in the United States
AbstractRouhani, S., Bather, J. R., Cuevas, A., Omari, I., Harris, A., McSorley, A. M., Rhodes-Bratton, B., & Goodman, M. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Substance Use and MisuseAbstractBackground: Racial/ethnic disparities in substance use outcomes continue to widen in the US. Despite increasing evidence of the myriad ways that racism impacts health, this has not been extensively studied with respect to substance use outcomes. The current study explores the association between self-reported exposure to racial discrimination across the life course and substance use disorders among US adults. Methods: We analyzed data from a web-based cross-sectional survey of adults in 13 states and Puerto Rico in March–April 2023. Exposure to racism in childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and within the past year was measured on a cumulative life course scale (range 0–4). Analyses were restricted to respondents identifying as White, Black, and/or Hispanic (N = 4,338). Multivariable models estimated the adjusted association between cumulative racial discrimination and lifetime substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis. Among those with exposure to racial discrimination (N = 1,895), we explored correlates of coping with any form of discrimination by using substances. Results: We detected evidence of an interaction between race/ethnicity and cumulative racial discrimination, with a higher predicted probability of SUD associated with discrimination among those racialized as Black (non-Hispanic Black and Afro-Hispanic). There was evidence of a dose-response relationship between cumulative racial discrimination and the likelihood of coping through increased substance use. Conclusions: Experiences of racial discrimination over the life course may contribute to disparities in substance use outcomes. More research is needed to disentangle multiple, overlapping forms of discrimination faced by people who use different substances and how they may explain variation in outcomes among them.Racial Discrimination and Substance Use: Results from a 2023 Survey of Racism and Public Health in the United States
AbstractRouhani, S., Bather, J. R., Cuevas, A., Omari, I., Harris, A., McSorley, A.-M., Rhodes-Bratton, B., & Goodman, M. S. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Substance Use & MisuseVolume
60Issue
14Page(s)
2225Abstract~Racial discrimination, religious coping, and cardiovascular disease risk among African American women and men
AbstractAshe, J., Bentley-Edwards, K., Skipper, A., Cuevas, A., Vieytes, C. M., Bah, K., Evans, M. K., Zonderman, A. B., & Waldstein, S. R. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health DisparitiesVolume
12Issue
5Page(s)
3069Abstract~Relationship stress and epigenetic age acceleration among older US adults in the Midlife in the United States study
AbstractRodrigues, M., Bather, J. R., & Cuevas, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
EpigenomicsVolume
17Issue
17Page(s)
1249Abstract~Remote work and loneliness: Evidence from a nationally representative sample of employed US adults
AbstractHe, T., Wei, L., Goodman, M. S., Pag??n, J. A., Cuevas, A., & Bather, J. R. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Journal of Affective DisordersPage(s)
120456Abstract~Remote work and mental health among employed US adults
AbstractLeong, W. I., Wei, L., Goodman, M. S., Pag??n, J. A., Cuevas, A., & Bather, J. R. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Occupational MedicineVolume
75Issue
6Page(s)
364Abstract~Representation of Hispanic Patients in Clinical Trials for Respiratory Failure: A Systematic Review
AbstractHarlan, E. A., Malley, K., Quiroga, G., Mubarak, E., Lama, P., Schutz, A., Cuevas, A., Hough, C. L., Iwashyna, T. J., & Armstrong-Hough, M. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Critical Care ExplorationsVolume
7Issue
1Page(s)
e1193Abstract~Safeguarding SNAP as an Effective Antihunger Program : Myths and Potential Harms of Adding Diet Quality as a Core Objective
AbstractKrobath, D. M., Lawrence, J. A., Chrisinger, B. W., & Cuevas, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
115Issue
1Page(s)
37-41Abstract~Safeguarding SNAP as an effective antihunger program: myths and potential harms of adding diet quality as a core objective
AbstractKrobath, D. M., Lawrence, J. A., Chrisinger, B. W., & Cuevas, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Volume
115Abstract~Systems science methods reveal and address links between discrimination and health disparities in US food systems
AbstractMoore, T. R., Krobath, D. M., Chang, C., Sanga, U., Webb, P., Pachucki, M., Cuevas, A., Roland, H. B., Grant, B., & Economos, C. D. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Nature foodVolume
6Issue
9Page(s)
821Abstract~Three underused statistical methods in social epidemiology: multiple informant models, fractional regression, and restricted mean survival time
AbstractFang, J., Goodman, M. S., Wizentier, M. M., Cuevas, A., & Bather, J. R. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
American Journal of EpidemiologyVolume
194Issue
11Page(s)
3140Abstract~A novel approach to model cumulative stress : Area under the s-factor curve
AbstractMann, F. D., Cuevas, A., Clouston, S. A., Freilich, C. D., Krizan, Z., Zuber, S., Wänström, L., Muniz-Terrera, G., O'Keefe, P., Voll, S., Hofer, S., Rodgers, J. L., & Krueger, R. F. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Social Science and MedicineVolume
348AbstractObjective: Using a large longitudinal sample of adults from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, the present study extended a recently developed hierarchical model to determine how best to model the accumulation of stressors, and to determine whether the rate of change in stressors or traditional composite scores of stressors are stronger predictors of health outcomes. Method: We used factor analysis to estimate a stress-factor score and then, to operationalize the accumulation of stressors we examined five approaches to aggregating information about repeated exposures to multiple stressors. The predictive validity of these approaches was then assessed in relation to different health outcomes. Results: The prediction of chronic conditions, body mass index, difficulty with activities of daily living, executive function, and episodic memory later in life was strongest when the accumulation of stressors was modeled using total area under the curve (AUC) of estimated factor scores, compared to composite scores that have traditionally been used in studies of cumulative stress, as well as linear rates of change. Conclusions: Like endogenous, biological markers of stress reactivity, AUC for individual trajectories of self-reported stressors shows promise as a data reduction technique to model the accumulation of stressors in longitudinal studies. Overall, our results indicate that considering different quantitative models is critical to understanding the sequelae and predictive power of psychosocial stressors from midlife to late adulthood.Breaking Academic Silos : Pedagogical Recommendations for Equitable Obesity Prevention Training and Research During an Age of Nutrition Polarization
AbstractTaylor, S. F., Krobath, D. M., Cuevas, A., Hennessy, E., & Roberts, S. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
AJPM FocusVolume
3Issue
3AbstractIntroduction: Obesity is a preventable chronic condition and a risk factor for poor health and early mortality. Weight stigma and weight-neutral medicine are popular topics in social media that are often at odds with current medical guidelines on obesity treatment and prevention. This conflict may erode the public's trust in science, impede research progress on preventing obesity in marginalized groups, and uphold the ongoing and historical lack of diversity among nutrition trainees. Methods: The authors conducted a series of student-led dialogue sessions with nutrition graduate students in Boston, Massachusetts, from March to May 2023 to understand perceptions of obesity research, health equity, and racism and discrimination. This article summarizes the lessons learned and provides pedagogical recommendations for jointly addressing obesity at the population level and the recruitment, training, and retention of diverse scholars, clinicians, and public health practitioners. Results: Dialogue sessions revealed that students perceive a disproportionate focus on the harms of obesity as a chronic disease, highlighting that inadequate attention is given to weight stigma and discrimination. Some participants believed that weight-based discrimination is equally detrimental to individual health and wellbeing as having obesity. Discussions also emphasized the need to pinpoint the multidimensional and cultural manifestations of weight stigma, which necessitates collaboration across social sectors and academic disciplines. Students recognized the urgent need to apply an equity lens to obesity research and teaching but felt limited in their access to experts within nutrition science who specialize in racism, discrimination, eating disorders, and weight stigma. Conclusions: This study identified concrete opportunities for urgently needed new training and research in population-level obesity prevention, emphasizing antiracism, harm reduction, and elimination of stigma and bias across multiple levels of science and society. Overall, the decision to use the BMI within pedagogy and training must be explicitly stated—research, population surveillance, decision-making, or treatment pedagogy and training—while acknowledging its strengths and limitations across diverse settings. Finally, the social determinants of obesity should incorporate not only weight stigma but also racism and multiple forms of discrimination.Love after lockup : examining the role of marriage, social status, and financial stress among formerly incarcerated individuals
AbstractBather, J. R., McSorley, A. M., Rhodes-Bratton, B., Cuevas, A., Rouhani, S., Nafiu, R. T., Harris, A., & Goodman, M. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Health and JusticeVolume
12Issue
1AbstractBackground: Upon reintegration into society, formerly incarcerated individuals (FIIs) experience chronic financial stress due to prolonged unemployment, strained social relationships, and financial obligations. This study examined whether marriage and perceived social status can mitigate financial stress, which is deleterious to the well-being of FIIs. We also assessed whether sociodemographic factors influenced financial stress across marital status. We used cross-sectional data from 588 FIIs, collected in the 2023 Survey of Racism and Public Health. The financial stress outcome (Cronbach’s α = 0.86) comprised of five constructs: psychological distress, financial anxiety, job insecurity, life satisfaction, and financial well-being. Independent variables included marital and social status, age, race/ethnicity, gender identity, educational attainment, employment status, and number of dependents. Multivariable models tested whether financial stress levels differed by marital and perceived social status (individual and interaction effects). Stratified multivariable models assessed whether social status and sociodemographic associations varied by marital status. Results: We found that being married/living with a partner (M/LWP, b = -5.2) or having higher social status (b = -2.4) were protective against financial stress. Additionally, the social status effect was more protective among divorced, separated, or widowed participants (b = -2.5) compared to never married (NM, b = -2.2) and M/LWP (b = -1.7) participants. Lower financial stress correlated with Black race and older age, with the age effect being more pronounced among M/LWP participants (b = -9.7) compared to NM participants (b = -7.3). Higher financial stress was associated with woman gender identity (overall sample b = 2.9, NM sample b = 5.1), higher education (M/LWP sample b = 4.4), and having two or more dependents (overall sample b = 2.3, M/LWP sample b = 3.4). Conclusions: We provide novel insights into the interrelationship between marriage, perceived social status, and financial stress among FIIs. Our findings indicate the need for policies and programs which may target the family unit, and not only the individual, to help alleviate the financial burden of FIIs. Finally, programs that offer legal aid to assist in expungement or sealing of criminal records or those offering opportunities for community volunteer work in exchange for vouchers specific to legal debt among FIIs could serve to reduce financial stress and improve social standing.Racial Discrimination, Religious Coping, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among African American Women and Men
AbstractAshe, J., Bentley-Edwards, K., Skipper, A., Cuevas, A., Vieytes, C. M., Bah, K., Evans, M. K., Zonderman, A. B., & Waldstein, S. R. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health DisparitiesAbstractObjective: This cross-sectional study examined whether religious coping buffered the associations between racial discrimination and several modifiable cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors—systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and cholesterol—in a sample of African American women and men. Methods: Participant data were taken from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity Across the Life Span study (N = 815; 55.2% women; 30–64 years old). Racial discrimination and religious coping were self-reported. CVD risk factors were clinically assessed. Results: In sex-stratified hierarchical regression analyses adjusted for age, socioeconomic status, and medication use, findings revealed several significant interactive associations and opposite effects by sex. Among men who experienced racial discrimination, religious coping was negatively related to systolic BP and HbA1c. However, in men reporting no prior discrimination, religious coping was positively related to most risk factors. Among women who had experienced racial discrimination, greater religious coping was associated with higher HbA1c and BMI. The lowest levels of CVD risk were observed among women who seldom used religious coping but experienced discrimination. Conclusion: Religious coping might mitigate the effects of racial discrimination on CVD risk for African American men but not women. Additional work is needed to understand whether reinforcing these coping strategies only benefits those who have experienced discrimination. It is also possible that religion may not buffer the effects of other psychosocial stressors linked with elevated CVD risk.The cost of doubt : assessing the association between attributional ambiguity and mental health
AbstractCuevas, A., Williams, D. R., Krobath, D. M., Lyngdoh, A., Kaba-Diakité, F., & Allen, J. D. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
BMC public healthVolume
24Issue
1AbstractObjective: To quantify the association between attributional ambiguity–the uncertainty of whether an experience is discrimination–and mental health. Methods: Using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults recruited through an online survey by Ipsos (April 23 and May 3, 2021), attributional ambiguity was quantified by asking participants if they experienced anything in the past 6 months that they were unsure was discrimination. The survey also assessed the degree to which these experiences caused participants to feel bothered and to ruminate on them. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze associations between attributional ambiguity and depressive symptoms and mental health status. Results: Black and Hispanic participants reported higher rates of attributional ambiguity than White participants. Experiencing attributional ambiguity was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and poorer self-reported mental health status. Among those who reported attributional ambiguity, increases in bother and rumination scores were positively associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Attributional ambiguity is an important yet overlooked social determinant of mental health. More research is needed to fully understand the impact of this stressor on population health, particularly among minoritized populations.Weighing In on the Body Mass Index : Addressing Criticisms and Embracing Purpose
AbstractCuevas, A., & Willett, W. C. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Annals of internal medicineVolume
177Issue
8Page(s)
1125-1126Abstract~A Novel Approach to Model Cumulative Stress: Area Under the s-factor Curve
AbstractMann, F. D., Cuevas, A., Clouston, S., Freilich, C., Krizan, Z., Zuber, S., Linda, W., Muniz-Terrera, G., O???Keefe, P., & Voll, S. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Abstract~Association of Racial Discrimination With Adiposity in Children and Adolescents
AbstractCuevas, A., Krobath, D. M., Rhodes-Bratton, B., Xu, S., Omolade, J. J., Perry, A. R., & Slopen, N. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
JAMA network openVolume
6Issue
7Page(s)
e2322839AbstractImportance: Childhood obesity is a major public health issue and is disproportionately prevalent among children from minority racial and ethnic groups. Personally mediated racism (commonly referred to as racial discrimination) is a known stressor that has been linked to higher body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) in adults, but little is known about the association of racial discrimination and childhood and adolescent adiposity. Objective: To assess the prospective association between self-reported experiences of racial discrimination and adiposity (BMI and waist circumference) in a large sample of children and adolescents in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used complete data from the ABCD study (2017 to 2019), involving a total of 6463 participants. The ABCD study recruited a diverse sample of youths from across the US, with rural, urban, and mountain regions. Data were analyzed from January 12 to May 17, 2023. Exposure: The child-reported Perceived Discrimination Scale was used to quantify racial discrimination, reflecting participants' perceptions of being treated unfairly by others or unaccepted by society based on their race or ethnicity. Main Outcomes and Measures: Weight, height, and waist circumference were measured by trained research assistants. BMI z scores were computed by applying the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's age and sex-specific reference standards for children and adolescents. Waist circumference (inches) was quantified as the mean of 3 consecutive measures. Measurements were taken from time 1 (ie, 2017 to 2019) and time 2 (ie, 2018 to 2020). Results: Of the 6463 respondents with complete data, 3090 (47.8%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 9.95 (0.62) years. Greater racial discrimination exposure at time 1 was associated with higher BMI z score in both unadjusted (β, 0.05; 95% CI, 0.02-0.08) and adjusted regression models (β, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.01-0.08). Discrimination at time 1 was associated with higher waist circumference in unadjusted (β, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.15-0.54) and adjusted (β, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.04-0.44) models. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of children and adolescents, racial discrimination was positively associated with adiposity, quantified by BMI z score and waist circumference. Interventions to reduce exposure to racial discrimination in early life may help reduce the risk of excess weight gain across throughout life.Discrimination Exposure and Polygenic Risk for Obesity in Adulthood : Testing Gene-Environment Correlations and Interactions
AbstractCuevas, A., Mann, F. D., & Krueger, R. F. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Lifestyle GenomicsVolume
16Issue
1Page(s)
90-97AbstractIntroduction: Exposure to discrimination has emerged as a risk factor for obesity. It remains unclear, however, whether the genotype of the individual can modulate the sensitivity or response to discrimination exposure (gene × environment interaction) or increase the likelihood of experiencing discrimination (gene-environment correlation). Methods: This was an observational study of 4,102 white/European Americans in the Health and Retirement Study with self-reported, biological assessments, and genotyped data from 2006 to 2014. Discrimination was operationalized using the average of nine Everyday Discrimination Scale items. Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were calculated using the weighted sum of risk alleles based on studies conducted by the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium. Results: We found that greater PRS-BMI was significantly associated with more reports of discrimination (β = 0.04 ± 0.02; p = 0.037). Further analysis showed that measured BMI partially mediated the association between PRS-BMI and discrimination. There was no evidence that the association between discrimination and BMI, or the association between discrimination and WC, differed by PRS-BMI or PRS-WC, respectively. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that individuals with genetic liability for obesity may experience greater discrimination in their lifetime, consistent with a gene-environment correlation hypothesis. There was no evidence of a gene-environment interaction. More genome-wide association studies in diverse populations are needed to improve generalizability of study findings. In the meantime, prevention and clinical intervention efforts that seek to reduce exposure to all forms of discrimination may help reduce obesity at the population level.