Sheilla Rodríguez‐madera
Biographic Data
| ID | 209607 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sheilla Rodríguez‐madera |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sheilla |
| FAMILY NAME | Rodríguez‐madera |
| SIGNATURE | MADERA S R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Florida International University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1967-1341 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 53 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Beyond financial incentives: A quantitative study on spatial stigma and Puerto Rican physician migration to the United States
Puerto Rico faces a significant health crisis due to the mass migration of physicians to the United States, exacerbating the challenge of achieving the World Health Organisation's recommended physician-to-population ratio. While economic factors such as higher salaries in the US have been identified as primary drivers, the complexity of this migration wave requires a deeper exploration. This study quantitatively examines the role of push factors,…
Powering well-being: Energy independence and mental health in a zone of ongoing disasters
Erotic Imagination in Latin America: Reflections on Sexual Fantasies and Coloniality
They think we wear loincloths: Spatial stigma, coloniality, and physician migration in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (PR) is facing an unprecedented healthcare crisis due to accelerating migration of physicians to the mainland United States (US), leaving residents with diminishing healthcare and excessively long provider wait times. While scholars and journalists have identified economic factors driving physician migration, our study analyzes the effects of spatial stigma within the broader context of coloniality as unexamined dimensions of physicia…
Recommendations from Latinx Trans and Non-Binary Individuals to Promote Cancer Prevention in Puerto Rico and Florida
Latinx trans and non-binary individuals (LTNB) face increased cancer-related health disparities. Studies evidence how barriers at the individual, provider and organizational levels drive cancer disparities among LTNB individuals. These barriers increase the emotional discomfort associated with testing and disengagement from cancer prevention efforts. Moreover, there are no guidelines or interventions that address cancer prevention specifically am…
Silenced stories of illicit drug use in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico: Experiences of healthcare providers, policymakers, and patients
This paper examines the experiences of healthcare providers (n = 10), policymakers (n = 5), and drug users (n = 5) in Puerto Rico (PR) after Hurricane Maria hit in September 2017. We draw upon ecosocial theory and theories of coloniality to interpret the findings from semi-structured interviews conducted between 2018–2020. The data from the study reveal the unacknowledged absence of illicit drug use in public policies on emergency management in r…
On staying: Non-migration among Puerto Rican physicians
Since 2000, an exodus of Puerto Ricans leaving the island has reduced the local population by almost 20 per cent. One of the migratory waves of greatest concern is that of physicians due to its potential impact on Puerto Rico’s (PR) public health. Strategies to curtail their migration have overlooked the island’s unique cultural and geographic strengths that could encourage physicians to stay. This article, influenced by place attachment theory, …
Transgender men in tourism: Marginalisation, constraints and inclusion opportunities
Transgender people experience intersecting forms of social marginalisation in different spheres of their lives. Both structural and interpersonal difficulties limit transgender individuals’ opportunities for positive experiences that increase their health and well-being, such as tourism activities. The scarce research on the transgender population's tourism experiences has not focused exclusively on transgender men's experiences. Informed by an i…
On leaving: Coloniality and physician migration in Puerto Rico
Covid-19 impact on the psychological health of Latinx transgender and non-binary individuals in mainland United States and Puerto Rico: A mixed-methods study
Findings evidence that although most of LTNB participants were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in multiple aspects of their lives, those living in Puerto Rico experienced these differently when compared to those in mainland US. More research is needed to understand better the mechanisms and pathways through which this context specifically impacts LTNB health and wellbeing, particularly in Puerto Rico. This study could help shape the …
Gender dissidence in leisure and travel: Exploring social vulnerability and resistance in Latin America
Due to the challenges that gender-dissident individuals represent for traditional binary gender norms, people with gender dissidence constitute a highly vulnerable social group. In leisure, travel, and tourism studies, the experiences of gender-dissident people have been practically ignored. Based on a necropraxis-necroresistance conceptual framework, this research aimed to explore gender-dissident people’s leisure and travel experiences and the …
Red tape, slow emergency, and chronic disease management in post-María Puerto Rico
This paper draws upon the notion of slow emergency as a framework to interpret ethnographic and qualitative findings on the challenges faced by Puerto Ricans with chronic conditions and health sector representatives throughout the island during and after Hurricane María. We conducted participant observation and qualitative interviews with chronic disease patients (n=20) health care providers and administrators (n=42), and policy makers (n=5) from…
Miami in Transformation during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Participatory Visual Culture Analysis
While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt around the world, Miami, Florida is one example of the specific and unique ways in which this pandemic is experienced. Drawing on the concepts of visual culture analysis and disaster literature, this article analyses how the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the everyday lives of people living in this subtropical American city. Specifically, this study draws on data collected from a digital part…
Embodiment, Gender Transitioning, and Necropolitics among Transwomen in Puerto Rico
In this article we present ethnographic research on Puerto Rican transwomen, focusing on how their gender trajectories are marked with various forms of routinized, systemic violence as well as resilient responses. Adapting Achille Mbembe's notion of necropolitics to consider the ways that the transgender body is systematically excluded and "designed to die," the authors aim to critically engage the embodied experience of transwomen and the mechan…
The social context of hormone and silicone injection among Puerto Rican transwomen
This paper draws on ethnographic, qualitative and survey data with transwomen in Puerto Rico to examine the social and political-economic context of lay injection with hormone and silicone - common practices within this community. We describe specific practices of hormone and silicone injection, the actors that govern them, the market for the sale and distribution of syringes and the networks of lay specialists who provide services to a populatio…
Experiences of Violence Among Transgender Women in Puerto Rico: An Underestimated Problem
Violence is a public health concern faced on a daily basis by transgender women. Literature has documented how it adversely affects quality of life and health and in some instances leads to homicide. Considering the lack of research documenting the experiences of violence among transgender women, the objective of this article was to explore manifestations of violence among this population in Puerto Rico. The data presented in this article are par…
Percepciones y experiencias sobre los determinantes sociales de la salud en una muestra de profesionales y estudiantes de psicología y educación para la salud en Puerto Rico
Introducción: Los Determinantes Sociales de la Salud (DSS) son una prioridad para la reducción de las inequidades en salud. La Psicología y la Educación para la Salud son disciplinas cuyo enfoque principal es el mejoramiento de la salud de las personas. No obstante su quehacer tradicionalmente se ha enfocado en el trabajo con los individuos, obviando la atención a los aspectos estructurales. Objetivos: documentar la percepción sobre los DSS en la…
Trans-Migrations: Border-Crossing and the Politics of Body Modification Among Puerto Rican Transgender Women
This research describes the context and health consequences of migration/mobility that accompany the search for gender transitioning procedures among Puerto Rican transgender/transsexual women. We term migration/mobility for gender transitioning trans-migration. We conducted an ethnographic study focusing on trans-migration, including participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 39 transgender/transsexual women in Puerto Rico. Our …
The role of emotions in the reduction of HIV/Aids stigma among physicians in training
Scientific literature has systematically documented the negative effects of social stigma for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). HIV/AIDS stigma has the potential to negatively impact self-care strategies for those already affected, and simultaneously hinder prevention efforts to deter the emergence of new infections. When health professionals manifest these negative attitudes access to quality health-care and prevention strategies can be serio…
Intersections and evolution of ‘Butch-trans’ categories in Puerto Rico: Needs and barriers of an invisible population
Public health research among transgender populations globally has primarily focused on HIV/AIDS. However, trans men remain outside of this conceptual framework, with distinct but overlapping social contexts and needs. In Puerto Rico (PR), the trans men population has remained largely hidden within the 'butch' lesbian community. The objective of this article is to document the identity construction of trans men and 'buchas' (local term to refer to…
Entre la Ra ź on y la Pasión: La Intimidad Sexual en Parejas Heterosexuales ante la Empresa Preventiva del VIH/Sida
This article establishes heterosexual relationships as spaces out of control and, from Foucault’s view of power, positions them as answer to the discourses generated by society to control sexuality. This qualitative study included 20 Puerto Rican couples (11 seroconcordant and 9 serodiscordant) with the objective of identifying variables related to relationship satisfaction with sexual intimacy among women living with HIV/AIDS. Results evidence h…
Gender as an Obstacle in HIV/Aids Prevention: Considerations for the Development of HIV/Aids Prevention Efforts for Male-to-Female Transgenders
Social discourses regarding gender are responsible for molding people's cognitions, perceptions, behaviors, and interactions with others. Approaching and understanding gender socialization is an important strategy that must be included in the development of HIV/AIDS prevention intervention efforts targeting male-to-female (MTF) transgender people. This paper represents an effort to identify the influence of gender construction among a group of MT…
Description of a Domestic Violence Measure for Puerto Rican Gay Males
A sample of 302 Puerto Rican gay males living in Puerto Rico and New York participated in this study with the objective of assessing the prevalence of domestic violence. A self-administered questionnaire was developed addressing issues of intergenerational violence, addictive behaviors, and domestic violence in three dimensions: emotional, physical, and sexual violence. The results concluded that close to half of the participants had experienced …
Sexual Coercion in a Sample of Puerto Rican Gay Males
Sexual coercion as part of the cycle of domestic violence represents a serious threat for HIV infection among partners in general, and gay and bisexual men in particular. This study examined the experiences of Puerto Rican gay men with domestic violence and sexual coercion in the context of the HIV epidemic. A self-administered questionnaire was obtained from a sample of 302 Puerto Rican gay males, 49% of whom reported having a steady partner. Fo…
Embodiment, Gender Transitioning, and Necropolitics among Transwomen in Puerto Rico
In this article we present ethnographic research on Puerto Rican transwomen, focusing on how their gender trajectories are marked with various forms of routinized, systemic violence as well as resilient responses. Adapting Achille Mbembe's notion of necropolitics to consider the ways that the transgender body is systematically excluded and "designed to die," the authors aim to critically engage the embodied experience of transwomen and the mechan…
Experiences of Violence Among Transgender Women in Puerto Rico: An Underestimated Problem
Violence is a public health concern faced on a daily basis by transgender women. Literature has documented how it adversely affects quality of life and health and in some instances leads to homicide. Considering the lack of research documenting the experiences of violence among transgender women, the objective of this article was to explore manifestations of violence among this population in Puerto Rico. The data presented in this article are par…
Gender as an Obstacle in HIV/Aids Prevention: Considerations for the Development of HIV/Aids Prevention Efforts for Male-to-Female Transgenders
Social discourses regarding gender are responsible for molding people's cognitions, perceptions, behaviors, and interactions with others. Approaching and understanding gender socialization is an important strategy that must be included in the development of HIV/AIDS prevention intervention efforts targeting male-to-female (MTF) transgender people. This paper represents an effort to identify the influence of gender construction among a group of MT…
On leaving: Coloniality and physician migration in Puerto Rico
Transgender men in tourism: Marginalisation, constraints and inclusion opportunities
Transgender people experience intersecting forms of social marginalisation in different spheres of their lives. Both structural and interpersonal difficulties limit transgender individuals’ opportunities for positive experiences that increase their health and well-being, such as tourism activities. The scarce research on the transgender population's tourism experiences has not focused exclusively on transgender men's experiences. Informed by an i…
Description of a Domestic Violence Measure for Puerto Rican Gay Males
A sample of 302 Puerto Rican gay males living in Puerto Rico and New York participated in this study with the objective of assessing the prevalence of domestic violence. A self-administered questionnaire was developed addressing issues of intergenerational violence, addictive behaviors, and domestic violence in three dimensions: emotional, physical, and sexual violence. The results concluded that close to half of the participants had experienced …
Gender dissidence in leisure and travel: Exploring social vulnerability and resistance in Latin America
Due to the challenges that gender-dissident individuals represent for traditional binary gender norms, people with gender dissidence constitute a highly vulnerable social group. In leisure, travel, and tourism studies, the experiences of gender-dissident people have been practically ignored. Based on a necropraxis-necroresistance conceptual framework, this research aimed to explore gender-dissident people’s leisure and travel experiences and the …
On staying: Non-migration among Puerto Rican physicians
Since 2000, an exodus of Puerto Ricans leaving the island has reduced the local population by almost 20 per cent. One of the migratory waves of greatest concern is that of physicians due to its potential impact on Puerto Rico’s (PR) public health. Strategies to curtail their migration have overlooked the island’s unique cultural and geographic strengths that could encourage physicians to stay. This article, influenced by place attachment theory, …
Miami in Transformation during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Participatory Visual Culture Analysis
While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt around the world, Miami, Florida is one example of the specific and unique ways in which this pandemic is experienced. Drawing on the concepts of visual culture analysis and disaster literature, this article analyses how the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the everyday lives of people living in this subtropical American city. Specifically, this study draws on data collected from a digital part…
Sexual Coercion in a Sample of Puerto Rican Gay Males
Sexual coercion as part of the cycle of domestic violence represents a serious threat for HIV infection among partners in general, and gay and bisexual men in particular. This study examined the experiences of Puerto Rican gay men with domestic violence and sexual coercion in the context of the HIV epidemic. A self-administered questionnaire was obtained from a sample of 302 Puerto Rican gay males, 49% of whom reported having a steady partner. Fo…
Sexual Coercion in a Sample of Puerto Rican Gay Males
Sexual coercion as part of the cycle of domestic violence represents a serious threat for HIV infection among partners in general, and gay and bisexual men in particular. This study examined the experiences of Puerto Rican gay men with domestic violence and sexual coercion in the context of the HIV epidemic. A self-administered questionnaire was obtained from a sample of 302 Puerto Rican gay males, 49% of whom reported having a steady partner. Fo…
Gender as an Obstacle in HIV/Aids Prevention: Considerations for the Development of HIV/Aids Prevention Efforts for Male-to-Female Transgenders
Social discourses regarding gender are responsible for molding people's cognitions, perceptions, behaviors, and interactions with others. Approaching and understanding gender socialization is an important strategy that must be included in the development of HIV/AIDS prevention intervention efforts targeting male-to-female (MTF) transgender people. This paper represents an effort to identify the influence of gender construction among a group of MT…
Description of a Domestic Violence Measure for Puerto Rican Gay Males
A sample of 302 Puerto Rican gay males living in Puerto Rico and New York participated in this study with the objective of assessing the prevalence of domestic violence. A self-administered questionnaire was developed addressing issues of intergenerational violence, addictive behaviors, and domestic violence in three dimensions: emotional, physical, and sexual violence. The results concluded that close to half of the participants had experienced …
Entre la Ra ź on y la Pasión: La Intimidad Sexual en Parejas Heterosexuales ante la Empresa Preventiva del VIH/Sida
This article establishes heterosexual relationships as spaces out of control and, from Foucault’s view of power, positions them as answer to the discourses generated by society to control sexuality. This qualitative study included 20 Puerto Rican couples (11 seroconcordant and 9 serodiscordant) with the objective of identifying variables related to relationship satisfaction with sexual intimacy among women living with HIV/AIDS. Results evidence h…
Percepciones y experiencias sobre los determinantes sociales de la salud en una muestra de profesionales y estudiantes de psicología y educación para la salud en Puerto Rico
Introducción: Los Determinantes Sociales de la Salud (DSS) son una prioridad para la reducción de las inequidades en salud. La Psicología y la Educación para la Salud son disciplinas cuyo enfoque principal es el mejoramiento de la salud de las personas. No obstante su quehacer tradicionalmente se ha enfocado en el trabajo con los individuos, obviando la atención a los aspectos estructurales. Objetivos: documentar la percepción sobre los DSS en la…
Trans-Migrations: Border-Crossing and the Politics of Body Modification Among Puerto Rican Transgender Women
This research describes the context and health consequences of migration/mobility that accompany the search for gender transitioning procedures among Puerto Rican transgender/transsexual women. We term migration/mobility for gender transitioning trans-migration. We conducted an ethnographic study focusing on trans-migration, including participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 39 transgender/transsexual women in Puerto Rico. Our …
The role of emotions in the reduction of HIV/Aids stigma among physicians in training
Scientific literature has systematically documented the negative effects of social stigma for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). HIV/AIDS stigma has the potential to negatively impact self-care strategies for those already affected, and simultaneously hinder prevention efforts to deter the emergence of new infections. When health professionals manifest these negative attitudes access to quality health-care and prevention strategies can be serio…
Intersections and evolution of ‘Butch-trans’ categories in Puerto Rico: Needs and barriers of an invisible population
Public health research among transgender populations globally has primarily focused on HIV/AIDS. However, trans men remain outside of this conceptual framework, with distinct but overlapping social contexts and needs. In Puerto Rico (PR), the trans men population has remained largely hidden within the 'butch' lesbian community. The objective of this article is to document the identity construction of trans men and 'buchas' (local term to refer to…
Experiences of Violence Among Transgender Women in Puerto Rico: An Underestimated Problem
Violence is a public health concern faced on a daily basis by transgender women. Literature has documented how it adversely affects quality of life and health and in some instances leads to homicide. Considering the lack of research documenting the experiences of violence among transgender women, the objective of this article was to explore manifestations of violence among this population in Puerto Rico. The data presented in this article are par…
The social context of hormone and silicone injection among Puerto Rican transwomen
This paper draws on ethnographic, qualitative and survey data with transwomen in Puerto Rico to examine the social and political-economic context of lay injection with hormone and silicone - common practices within this community. We describe specific practices of hormone and silicone injection, the actors that govern them, the market for the sale and distribution of syringes and the networks of lay specialists who provide services to a populatio…
Red tape, slow emergency, and chronic disease management in post-María Puerto Rico
This paper draws upon the notion of slow emergency as a framework to interpret ethnographic and qualitative findings on the challenges faced by Puerto Ricans with chronic conditions and health sector representatives throughout the island during and after Hurricane María. We conducted participant observation and qualitative interviews with chronic disease patients (n=20) health care providers and administrators (n=42), and policy makers (n=5) from…
Miami in Transformation during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Participatory Visual Culture Analysis
While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt around the world, Miami, Florida is one example of the specific and unique ways in which this pandemic is experienced. Drawing on the concepts of visual culture analysis and disaster literature, this article analyses how the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the everyday lives of people living in this subtropical American city. Specifically, this study draws on data collected from a digital part…
Embodiment, Gender Transitioning, and Necropolitics among Transwomen in Puerto Rico
In this article we present ethnographic research on Puerto Rican transwomen, focusing on how their gender trajectories are marked with various forms of routinized, systemic violence as well as resilient responses. Adapting Achille Mbembe's notion of necropolitics to consider the ways that the transgender body is systematically excluded and "designed to die," the authors aim to critically engage the embodied experience of transwomen and the mechan…
Covid-19 impact on the psychological health of Latinx transgender and non-binary individuals in mainland United States and Puerto Rico: A mixed-methods study
Findings evidence that although most of LTNB participants were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in multiple aspects of their lives, those living in Puerto Rico experienced these differently when compared to those in mainland US. More research is needed to understand better the mechanisms and pathways through which this context specifically impacts LTNB health and wellbeing, particularly in Puerto Rico. This study could help shape the …
Gender dissidence in leisure and travel: Exploring social vulnerability and resistance in Latin America
Due to the challenges that gender-dissident individuals represent for traditional binary gender norms, people with gender dissidence constitute a highly vulnerable social group. In leisure, travel, and tourism studies, the experiences of gender-dissident people have been practically ignored. Based on a necropraxis-necroresistance conceptual framework, this research aimed to explore gender-dissident people’s leisure and travel experiences and the …
Recommendations from Latinx Trans and Non-Binary Individuals to Promote Cancer Prevention in Puerto Rico and Florida
Latinx trans and non-binary individuals (LTNB) face increased cancer-related health disparities. Studies evidence how barriers at the individual, provider and organizational levels drive cancer disparities among LTNB individuals. These barriers increase the emotional discomfort associated with testing and disengagement from cancer prevention efforts. Moreover, there are no guidelines or interventions that address cancer prevention specifically am…
Silenced stories of illicit drug use in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico: Experiences of healthcare providers, policymakers, and patients
This paper examines the experiences of healthcare providers (n = 10), policymakers (n = 5), and drug users (n = 5) in Puerto Rico (PR) after Hurricane Maria hit in September 2017. We draw upon ecosocial theory and theories of coloniality to interpret the findings from semi-structured interviews conducted between 2018–2020. The data from the study reveal the unacknowledged absence of illicit drug use in public policies on emergency management in r…
On staying: Non-migration among Puerto Rican physicians
Since 2000, an exodus of Puerto Ricans leaving the island has reduced the local population by almost 20 per cent. One of the migratory waves of greatest concern is that of physicians due to its potential impact on Puerto Rico’s (PR) public health. Strategies to curtail their migration have overlooked the island’s unique cultural and geographic strengths that could encourage physicians to stay. This article, influenced by place attachment theory, …
Transgender men in tourism: Marginalisation, constraints and inclusion opportunities
Transgender people experience intersecting forms of social marginalisation in different spheres of their lives. Both structural and interpersonal difficulties limit transgender individuals’ opportunities for positive experiences that increase their health and well-being, such as tourism activities. The scarce research on the transgender population's tourism experiences has not focused exclusively on transgender men's experiences. Informed by an i…
On leaving: Coloniality and physician migration in Puerto Rico
Erotic Imagination in Latin America: Reflections on Sexual Fantasies and Coloniality
They think we wear loincloths: Spatial stigma, coloniality, and physician migration in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (PR) is facing an unprecedented healthcare crisis due to accelerating migration of physicians to the mainland United States (US), leaving residents with diminishing healthcare and excessively long provider wait times. While scholars and journalists have identified economic factors driving physician migration, our study analyzes the effects of spatial stigma within the broader context of coloniality as unexamined dimensions of physicia…
Beyond financial incentives: A quantitative study on spatial stigma and Puerto Rican physician migration to the United States
Puerto Rico faces a significant health crisis due to the mass migration of physicians to the United States, exacerbating the challenge of achieving the World Health Organisation's recommended physician-to-population ratio. While economic factors such as higher salaries in the US have been identified as primary drivers, the complexity of this migration wave requires a deeper exploration. This study quantitatively examines the role of push factors,…
Powering well-being: Energy independence and mental health in a zone of ongoing disasters
Sociology (21 works) · Medicine (17 works) · Psychology (17 works) · Political science (13 works) · Gender Studies (10 works) · Sex work and related issues (10 works) · Gender Studies (9 works) · Geography (9 works) · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy (9 works) · Population (9 works)