Puerto Rico-born Adriana Espinosa grew up in a bicultural, Ecuadorian-Boricua, home. This experience largely shaped her values and heightened her awareness of how cultural influences shape every aspect of our lives — from the decisions we make about our healthcare, to our educational attainment, to the careers we pursue.
After enrolling for a brief time at the University of Puerto Rico, it was at CCNY that she obtained her BA in Economics — earning the distinction of Valedictorian for the college — and where she now leads a successful academic career.
Most recently, Professor Espinosa was awarded the 2025-26 Mabel Shelby Faculty Fellowship, an initiative started by the Powell School to support and promote faculty research across all the divisions of CCNY. As part of the fellowship, Professor Espinosa will present her research in a public campus event organized by the Powell School.
From Humble Roots to Academic Heights
Professor Espinosa’s story is one of determination. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she comes from a bicultural home — her father an immigrant from Ecuador, her mother a native Puerto Rican. This upbringing profoundly shaped her understanding of how cultural influences permeate every aspect of life, especially healthcare and education.
Her academic path led her from the University of Puerto Rico to New York, where she initially pursued an engineering major at the Grove School. However, a pivotal economics class with Professor Kevin Foster sparked a new passion: “after taking my first economics class… I quickly changed my major to economics.”
After earning her PhD, a stint as a Market Research Analyst confirmed her desire for a career transition. “Although this job appealed to my analytical mindset, I quickly realized that I wanted a career that had a stronger connection to community and social impact.”
She found that connection in academic administration at CCNY, eventually leading her to the Department of Psychology, a perfect fit for her interdisciplinary interests. Here, she blended her rigorous economic training with psychology to delve into the psychosocial determinants of health and social inequality. “Being faculty here allowed me to further refine my quantitative background, while integrating my economics training with psychology to further understand human behavior and well-being.“
Scholarly Work: Unpacking Inequality, Driving Change
Professor Espinosa’s research program is a vibrant, interdisciplinary exploration of factors influencing chronic mental and physical health conditions, including substance use disorders and cancer. What makes her work so impactful is its intersectional perspective, meticulously examining how race, ethnicity, sex, sexual identity, and socioeconomic status all interact to create health disparities.
“While I was a student at CCNY, I became very interested in understanding human behavior through the lens of data and empirical evidence. I was drawn to the intersection of mathematical rigor and social impact, particularly for the understanding of social inequality and the promotion of health and well-being”
This interest, coupled with an innate curiosity, has led professor Espinosa to develop a unique perspective on her research. Her findings are not just theoretical; they have real-world application and are helping raise awareness on why one-size-fits-all approaches to prevention and care often fail to eliminate disparities.
For Professor Espinosa, the most meaningful aspect of her work is its translational impact. “Knowing that my research can help improve people’s lives is what makes me work harder each day.”
Why CCNY is Different: Resilience and Purpose
As a CCNY alumna and a former college Valedictorian, Professor Espinosa holds a special place in her heart for the institution. She recalls being “always inspired by my peers” and their shared determination.
What truly sets CCNY students apart, in her experience, is their unparalleled resilience.
“What sets CCNY students apart is not the challenges they face, but the way they respond to them. They show up, they problem-solve, and they find a way forward. They don’t say, ‘I never learned that’. Instead, they say, ‘Show me how, and I’ll figure it out.’”
Returning to CCNY and the Colin Powell School as faculty to support this incredible drive and purpose is “one of the most meaningful parts of my work.”
A Vision for the Future: Expanding Impact and Mentorship
Looking ahead, Professor Espinosa plans to deepen her research into behavioral health and cancer risk, focusing on how intersecting identities and social determinants like discrimination and healthcare access shape outcomes. She envisions developing larger-scale, multi-site randomized trials in collaboration with community partners to generate actionable evidence for health equity.
As a Principal Investigator for the U54 CCNY-MSK Partnership for Cancer Research, Education, and Community Outreach, she will continue to lead cross-institutional initiatives that strengthen community engagement and foster innovative cancer research.
Mentorship remains a central pillar of her work, guiding students at all levels — from BA and MA students at CCNY to PhD candidates at the Graduate Center and postdoctoral fellows and assistant professors across various institutions. In her teaching, Espinosa connects coursework with hands-on research, preparing students to become meaningful contributors to health equity efforts.
“Cultivating the next generation of equity-focused scholars is essential, now more than ever, to advancing health equity.”
The Heart of CCNY and the Colin Powell School
Professor Espinosa encapsulates what makes CCNY and the Colin Powell School so special:
“A deep and authentic commitment to social mobility and to serving the communities we are part of… The Colin Powell School actively supports work that advances equity and social justice and further encourages faculty and students to contribute to meaningful social change. This alignment of mission, community, and scholarship is rare, and it is what makes CCNY and The Colin Powell School truly special.”
Learn more about The Mabel Shelby Faculty Fellowship
The Mabel Shelby Faculty Fellowship, established in 2024, provides recognition and resources for a member of the CCNY full-time faculty who is doing outstanding scholarly or creative work in areas related, directly or in an intersectional way, to women’s and gender studies. The fellowship is administered by the Colin Powell School, but all CCNY full-time faculty are eligible to apply.
The term of the fellowship is one year, and support will be in the form of a $10,000 stipend and $2,500 for research expenses. At some point during the fellowship year, the Faculty Fellow will present work and be recognized in a public campus event to be organized by the Colin Powell School.
