Associate Professor, School of Nursing
Senior Associate Dean for Research, School of Nursing
Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, Oregon
olveraal@ohsu.edu
Fellowship Project: Life stress, particulate matter exposure, and inflammatory reactivity/ Nature Contact, and Health Inequities (Collaborative Project)
Dr. Hector Olvera Alvarez is an interdisciplinary health scientist with interests in environmental health, health equity, and psychological wellbeing currently serving as the Senior Associate Dean for Research at the School of Nursing, Oregon Health and Science University. His academic journey emerged from his graduate experiences in Environmental Engineering and Sciences from the University of Texas at El Paso, enriched by post-doctoral training experiences in epidemiology, lung dosimetry, psychological stress and well-being, and public health.
During his time as a JPB Environmental Health Fellow, Dr. Olvera Alvarez expanded his research horizons significantly. He delved deeply into how various environmental factors – natural, built, and social – intertwine and influence our health and well-being throughout our lives. A particular focus of his work has been on the profound impact of early-life psychosocial stress on the risk of chronic illness in later years via a sensitization to the environment. Specifically, his innovative research explores how childhood stress affects adult disease through neuro-immunological mechanisms that cause hypersensitivity and drive systemic inflammation.
Beyond his research, Dr. Olvera Alvarez has made substantial contributions to academia and the community. He founded the Biobehavioral Research Laboratory (BbRL) at the UTEP School of Nursing, serve as the Director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility at the Oregon Clinical and Translational Institute, and served on the executive boards for National University of Naturopathic Medicine and the Oregon Latino Health Coalition. His community involvement is equally impressive, notably founding the Alpha Youth Leadership Academy in collaboration with the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso, connecting at-risk youth with educational and developmental opportunities.
What sets Dr. Olvera Alvarez apart within health science is his personal commitment to the communities he serves. His journey is not just academic but is also deeply rooted in personal spirituality and extensive community involvement. This unique blend of professional expertise and personal dedication underscores his commitment to improving lives through a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between our environment and health. As a mentor and educator, he is an inspiration, nurturing the next generation of environmental health professionals with his innovative and holistic approach.
Publications Supported by JPB Funds
- Gregory N. Bratman, Ashish Mehta, Olvera-Alvarez HA, Katie Malloy Spink, Chaja Levy, Mathew P. White, Laura D. Kubzansky & James J. Gross (2024) Associations of nature contact with emotional ill-being and well-being: the role of emotion regulation, Cognition and Emotion, 16 Feb 2024 https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2024.2316199
- Kazemian, N.; Zhou, T.; Chalasani, N.; Narayan, A.; Cedeño Laurent, J.G.; Olvera Alvarez, H.A & Pakpour, S. Long-Term Impact of Childhood Adversity on the Gut Microbiome of Nursing Students. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21010068
- Foster BA., Olvera Alvarez HA., Padilla T., Meyer J. S. (2022). Longitudinal Examination of Hair Cortisol Concentrations and Weight Changes in Preschool-Aged Children of Latino Farmworkers. Child Obesity. doi: 10.1089/chi.2022.0103.
- Gray ZJ., Shields, GS., Sichko, S., Bui, TQ., Vinograd, M., Olvera-Alvarez, HA., Slavich, GM. Neural and peripheral markers of reward during positive social evaluation are associated with less clinician-rated depression symptom severity in adolescence, Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, June 22, 2022, 100149, ISSN 2666-4976, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpnec.2022.100149.
- Dieckmann NF., Stoyles SA., Aebischer JH., Olvera-Alvarez HA. PhD Dissertation Topics in Nursing. Nursing Research: May 18, 2022 – Volume – Issue – 10.1097 doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000604
- Jie Y., Bratman G., Browning MHEM., Spengler J., Olvera-Alvarez HA. Stress recovery from virtual exposure to a brown (desert) environment versus a green environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology. Accepted; February 5, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101775
- Sichko, S., Bui, T., Vinograd, M., Shields, G. S., Saha, K., Devkota, S., Olvera-Alvarez, H. A., Carroll, J. E., Cole, S. W., Irwin, M. R., & Slavich, G. M. Psychobiology of Stress and Adolescent Depression (PSY SAD) Study: Protocol overview for an fMRI-based multi-method investigation. Brain Behav Immun Health. 100334. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100334. PMCID: PMC8478351 Epub 2021 Aug 24, 2021.
- Bratman, GN., Olvera‐Alvarez HA., Gross JJ. (2021). The affective benefits of nature exposure. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 15(8), Article e12630. Accepted; June 30, 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12630
- Olvera-Alvarez HA, Browning MHEM, Neophytou AM, Bratman GN. Associations of Residential Brownness and Greenness with Fasting Glucose in Young Healthy Adults Living in the Desert. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(2):520. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020520
- Browning MHEM, Larson LR, Sharaievska I, Rigolon A, McAnirlin O, et al. Olvera Alvarez HA. Psychological impacts from COVID-19 among university students: Risk factors across seven states in the United States. PLOS ONE 2021. 16(1): e0245327. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245327
- Nazif-Munoz JI., Cedeno-Laurent JG., Browning M., Spengler JD., Olvera Alvarez HA. Green, Brown, and Gray: Associations between Different Measurements of Land Patterns and Depression among Nursing Students in El Paso, Texas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 8146; November 4, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218146
- Browning M., & Olvera Alvarez HA. Editorial Commentary: Scanning for threats and natural environments giving our reptilian brains a break. Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine, 1–11. August 2019. doi:10.1016/j.tcm.2019.07.006
- Olvera Alvarez HA., Provencio-Vasquez E., Slavich GM., Cedeno Laurent JG., McKee-Lopez G, Robbins L, Spengler J. Stress and Health in Nursing Students: The Nurse Engagement and Wellness Study. Nursing Research, Epub ahead of print, doi:10.1097/NNR.0000000000000383. August 7, 2019.
- Fumador E. A.., Amaya M. A., Brunner B., Clague J. W., Li W-W., Olvera HA., Berwick M., Burchiel S. W., Pingitore N. E. Cerium Levels in Coarse and Fine Airborne Particulate Matter in El Paso, Texas, USA. Journal of Atmospheric Pollution. 7(1), 1-13. DOI: 10.12691/jap-7-1-1. January 2019.
- McKee-Lopez G, Robbins L, Provencio-Vasquez E, Olvera Alvarez HA., The Relationship of Childhood Adversity on Burnout and Depression Among BSN Students. J Professional Nursing. Available online September 22, 2018. doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2018.09.008
- Olvera Alvarez HA., Kubzansky LD, Campen MJ, Slavich GM. Early life stress, air pollution, inflammation, and disease: An integrative review and immunologic model of social-environmental adversity and lifespan health. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2018 Sep;92:226-242. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.06.002. Epub 2018 Jun 3. Review. PubMed PMID: 29874545; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6082389.
- Olvera Alvarez HA., Appleton AA, Fuller CH, Belcourt A, Kubzansky LD. An Integrated Socio-Environmental Model of Health and Well-Being: a Conceptual Framework Exploring the Joint Contribution of Environmental and Social Exposures to Health and Disease Over the Life Span. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2018 Jun;5(2):233-243. doi: 10.1007/s40572-018-0191-2. Review. PubMed PMID: 29574677.