Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo, PhD
Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo, PhD is an anthropologist studying how people are served by institutions such as healthcare systems and schools. Her research integrates social networks, cultural models, brokerage, access, neuroplasticity, and neuroanthropology to explain and predict health outcomes, while translating these insights into clinical and systemic interventions. She is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Medical Anthropology in the Department of Emergency Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida, where she directs the AQUASS Research Lab (Advancing Quality and Uniform Access through the Social Sciences). She also serves as a Health Science Specialist with the North Florida/South Florida Veterans Healthcare System.
At USF, Dr. Campbell-Montalvo is Principal Investigator on “Information and Attitudes about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Factors Affecting Clinical Trial Participation and Experience among Veterans with TBI,” the largest study to date using social network mapping among persons with TBI and their care partners. It examines how social networks and other social attributes shape healthcare access, engagement, and participation among TBI survivors. At the VA, she leads qualitative research on “Developing an Evidence-Based Model to Provide Patient-Centered Care to Rural Veterans with Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease” and “ALIGNing the Veterans and VHA Goals for Equitable Kidney Failure Care,” both aimed at expanding access to home dialysis. Her VA work also includes efforts to improve TBI care through telehealth policy development, a staff playbook for inpatient care, and an electronic medical record flag prompting providers to include caregivers of Veterans with TBI-related cognitive impairment. Previously, she contributed to evaluations such as SAMHSA’s Project REACH (Recovery, Engagement, Acceptance, Compassion, Hope), which assessed the effectiveness of interventions addressing opioid use and mental health.
In addition, Dr. Campbell-Montalvo’s book, The Latinization of Indigenous Students (Lexington Books, 2023), explores the intersecting factors shaping K–12 schooling experiences in the U.S. She is also PI or Co-PI on three NSF-funded STEM education projects employing mixed methods and totaling over $6 million in funding.
Before joining USF in 2024, Dr. Campbell-Montalvo served at the University of Connecticut beginning in 2016, most recently as Assistant Research Professor.