Dinorah Martinez Tyson, PhD, MPH, MA

As an applied medical anthropologist, I bring cross-cultural perspectives to the study of cancer health disparities as well as extensive experience in qualitative, ethnographic, and mixed methods research. My program of research has consistently focused on understanding the influence of socio-cultural factors on health and to develop and identify the best models and methods for adapting instrumentation and proven interventions to address health disparities across the cancer continuum. 

Associations

• Health Outcomes & Behavior Program

Education & Training

Graduate:

• Northern Arizona University, MA - Applied Anthropology
• University of South Florida, MPH - Public Health Education, Epidemiology
• University of Florida, PhD - Applied Anthropology

  She has worked to develop and culturally adapt evidence-based interventions to address the psychosocial and information needs of Hispanic patients. For example, she led an exploratory sequential mixed method study, which employed a series of iterative and group consensus-building approaches, to translate and culturally adapt the previously validated CaSUN measure into Spanish, for Latino cancer survivors. In addition, she also worked to culturally adapt and evaluate a patient self-administered stress-management training intervention for Hispanic/Latina breast cancer patients and education tools to promote cancer screening. She also has extensive experience in program evaluation and has conducted process and outcome evaluation for several National Cancer Institute and CDC funded health disparities initiatives, including the Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network, Cancer, and Culture and Literacy Training Institute and Florida Prevention Research Center. She is bilingual in English and Spanish and has worked closely with various community-based organizations to address health disparities among ethnic minorities and underserved populations in the United States as well as Latin America (e.g., Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Panama). Her community experience has also provided her with invaluable insights about partnership and coalition building processes. Dr. Martinez Tyson is also a volunteer with Latinos Unidos por Un Nuevo Amanecer, Inc. a non-profit organization that provides support to Latinos diagnosed with cancer and Campamento Alegria, a 3-Day integrative program for Latina cancer survivors. She is currently working with faculty across COPH on the Salud Latina Initiative to address Latino health disparities. Dr. Martinez Tyson has an outstanding mentorship record and serves as the major/co-major professor of several doctoral students. She is the recipient of the 2020 Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award and the Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Public Health in 2017. She enjoys teaching and mentoring students immensely. She has extensive experience in qualitative methods and currently teaches three graduate level qualitative methods courses in the College of Public Health and has served as the qualitative lead on several NIH funded projects and qualitative content expert on numerous dissertation committees across USF. Dr. Martinez Tyson’s work has appeared in the journals CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, Journal of Cancer Education, Health Promotion Practice, Social Science and Medicine and Cancer Control Journal. She is an associate editor for the Journal Ethnicity and Health.  

• Tometich DB, Welniak T, Gudenkauf L, Maconi ML, Fulton HJ, Martinez Tyson D, Zambrano K, Hasan S, Rodriguez Y, Bryant C, Li X, Reed DR, Oswald LB, Galligan A, Small BJ, Jim HSL. "I couldn't connect the wires in my brain." Young adult cancer survivors' experience with cognitive functioning. Psychooncology. 2024 Mar.33(3):e6309. Pubmedid: 38420860.
• Meade CD, Stanley NB, Arevalo M, Tyson DM, Chavarria EA, Aguado Loi CX, Rivera M, Gutierrez L, Abdulla R, Christy SM, Gwede CK. Transcreation matters: A learner centric participatory approach for adapting cancer prevention messages for Latinos. Patient Educ Couns. 2023 Oct.115:107888. Pubmedid: 37463555.
• Chavez MN, Marshall VK, Martinez Tyson D, Mason TM, Rechenberg K. Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Oncology Patients: Perceptions of Oncology Health Care Providers. West J Nurs Res. 2023 Feb.45(2):152-160. Pubmedid: 35897163. Pmcid: PMC10079896.
• Marshall VK, Chavez M, Efre A, Lake PW, Rigg KK, Lubrano B, Pabbathi S, Rajasekhara S, Tyson DM. Barriers to Adequate Pain Control and Opioid Use Among Cancer Survivors: Implications for Nursing Practice. Cancer Nurs. 2023 Aug.46(5):386-393. Pubmedid: 37607374. Pmcid: PMC10232667.
• Barata A, Hoogland AI, Small BJ, Acevedo KI, Antoni MH, Gonzalez BD, Jacobsen PB, Lechner SC, Tyson DM, Meade CD, Rodriguez Y, Salsman JM, Sherman AC, Sutton SK, Jim HSL. Spiritual well-being, distress and quality of life in Hispanic women diagnosed with cancer undergoing treatment with chemotherapy. Psychooncology. 2022 Nov.31(11):1933-1940. Pubmedid: 36121699. Pmcid: PMC10115137.
• Chavez MN, Tyson DM, Lake PW, Gutierrez A, Sherry P, Rigg KK, Marshall V, Henderson H, Rajasekhara S, Pabbathi S, Lubrano B. 'They say you can get addicted': Exploring factors that fuel the fear of addiction to prescription opioids among cancer survivors. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2022 May.31(3):e13582. Pubmedid: 35354227.
• Marshall VK, Mason TM, Chavez M, Martinez-Tyson D, Bugajski A. Impact of COVID-19 on Oncology Healthcare Providers: The Resilience of a Profession. Cancer Nurs. 2022 Mar.45(2):E407-E416. Pubmedid: 35089875.
• Marshall VK, Chavez M, Efre A, Lake PW, Rigg KK, Lubrano B, Pabbathi S, Rajasekhara S, Tyson DM. Barriers to Adequate Pain Control and Opioid Use Among Cancer Survivors: Implications for Nursing Practice. Cancer Nurs. 2022 Dec. Pubmedid: 36480307.
• Adashek JJ, Jordan A, Redwine LS, Tyson DM, Thompson Z, Pabbathi S. Pan-cancer analysis of fear of cancer recurrence among cancer survivors. ESMO Open. 2022 Aug.7(4):100528. Pubmedid: 35780591. Pmcid: PMC9463169.
• Marshall VK, Chavez M, Mason TM, Martinez-Tyson D. Emergency preparedness during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceptions of oncology professionals and implications for nursing management from a qualitative study. J Nurs Manag. 2021 Sep.29(6):1375-1384. Pubmedid: 34174005. Pmcid: PMC8420290.
• Marshall VK, Chavez MN, Mason TM, Martinez Tyson D. The Use of Telehealth to Provide Continuity of Cancer Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Advantages, Disparities, and Implications to Promote Health Equity. Hosp Top. 2021 Jul.100(4):166-176. Pubmedid: 34218752.
• Tyson DM, Chavez MN, Lubrano B, Lake P, Gutierrez A, Marshall VK, Rigg KK, Henderson H, Pabbathi S, Sherry P, Rajasekhara S. Correction to: Understanding Cancer Survivors' Educational Needs about Prescription Opioid Medications: Implications for Cancer Education and Health Literacy. J Cancer Educ. 2021 Aug.36(4):893. Pubmedid: 34143414.
• Aguado Loi CX, Martinez Tyson D, Chavarria EA, Gutierrez L, Klasko L, Davis S, Lopez D, Johns T, Meade CD, Gwede CK. 'Simple and easy:' providers' and latinos' perceptions of the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) for colorectal cancer screening. Ethn Health. 2020 Feb.25(2):206-221. Pubmedid: 29319331. Pmcid: PMC6513709.
• Meade CD, Stanley NB, Martinez-Tyson D, Gwede CK. 20 Years Later: Continued Relevance of Cancer, Culture, and Literacy in Cancer Education for Social Justice and Health Equity. J Cancer Educ. 2020 Aug.35(4):631-634. Pubmedid: 32642923. Pmcid: PMC7340770.
• Miller KD, Goding Sauer A, Ortiz AP, Fedewa SA, Pinheiro PS, Tortolero-Luna G, Martinez-Tyson D, Jemal A, Siegel RL. Cancer Statistics for Hispanics/Latinos, 2018. CA-Cancer J Clin. 2018 Nov.68(6):425-445. Pubmedid: 30285281.
• Lee MS, Martinez D, Gonzales BD, Small BJ, Lechner SC, Antoni MH, Vinard A, Krause M, Meade C, Jacobsen PB. Anxiety and depression in Spanish-speaking Latina cancer patients prior to starting chemotherapy. Psychooncology. 2018 Jan.27(1):333-338. Pubmedid: 28557067. Pmcid: PMC5709270.
• Martinez Tyson D, Medina-Ramirez P, Vázquez-Otero C, Gwede CK, Babilonia MB, McMillan SC. Initial evaluation of the validity and reliability of the culturally adapted Spanish CaSUN (S-CaSUN). J Cancer Surviv. 2018 Aug.12(4):509-518. Pubmedid: 29623531. Pmcid: PMC6092044.
• Martinez Tyson D, Medina-Ramirez P, Flores AM, Siegel R, Aguado Loi C. Unpacking Hispanic Ethnicity-Cancer Mortality Differentials Among Hispanic Subgroups in the United States, 2004-2014. Front Public Health. 2018.6:219. Pubmedid: 30234082. Pmcid: PMC6127245.
• Martinez Tyson D, Medina-Ramirez P, Vázquez-Otero C, Gwede CK, Bobonis M, McMillan SC. Cultural adaptation of a supportive care needs measure for Hispanic men cancer survivors. J Psychosoc Oncol. 2017 Sep.36(1):113-131. Pubmedid: 28857692. Pmcid: PMC6225784.
• Corvin J, Aguado Loi C, Alfonso M, Martinez Tyson D, Chan I, Maria P, Gonzales J. Translating Research into Practice: Employing Community-Based Mixed Methods Approaches to Address Chronic Disease and Depression Among Latinos. J Behav Health Serv Res. 2017 Oct.44(4):574-589. Pubmedid: 27436411.
• Martinez Tyson DD, Vázquez-Otero C, Medina-Ramirez P, Arriola NB, McMillan SC, Gwede CK. Understanding the supportive care needs of Hispanic men cancer survivors. Ethn Health. 2017 Feb.22(1):1-16. Pubmedid: 27350450. Pmcid: PMC5351415.
• Martinez Tyson D, Arriola NB, Corvin J. Perceptions of Depression and Access to Mental Health Care Among Latino Immigrants: Looking Beyond One Size Fits All. Qual Health Res. 2016 Jul.26(9):1289-1302. Pubmedid: 26035855.
• Martinez Tyson DD, Jacobsen P, Meade CD. Understanding the Stress Management Needs and Preferences of Latinas Undergoing Chemotherapy. J Cancer Educ. 2016 Dec.31(4):633-639. Pubmedid: 25952939.
• Carrion IV, Nedjat-Haiem FR, Martinez-Tyson D, Castañeda H. Advance care planning among Colombian, Mexican, and Puerto Rican women with a cancer diagnosis. Support Care Cancer. 2013 May.21(5):1233-1239. Pubmedid: 23192672.
• Aguado Loi CX, Baldwin JA, McDermott RJ, McMillan S, Martinez Tyson D, Yampolskaya S, Vandeweerd C. Risk factors associated with increased depressive symptoms among Latinas diagnosed with breast cancer within 5 years of survivorship. Psychooncology. 2013 Dec.22(12):2779-2788. Pubmedid: 24000126.
• Luque JS, Castañeda H, Tyson DM, Vargas N, Meade CD. Formative research on HPV vaccine acceptability among Latina farmworkers. Health Promot Pract. 2012 Sep.13(5):617-625. Pubmedid: 21881079. Pmcid: PMC3245360.
• Martinez Tyson DD, Castañeda H, Porter M, Quiroz M, Carrion I. More Similar than Different? Exploring Cultural Models of Depression among Latino Immigrants in Florida. Depress Res Treat. 2011 Nov.2011:564396. Pubmedid: 21941643. Pmcid: PMC3175724.
• Meade CD, Menard JM, Luque JS, Martinez-Tyson D, Gwede CK. Creating community-academic partnerships for cancer disparities research and health promotion. Health Promot Pract. 2011 May.12(3):456-462. Pubmedid: 19822724. Pmcid: PMC3653573.
• Becker MA, Martinez-Tyson D, Digennaro J, Ochshorn E. Do Latino and non-Latino White Medicaid-enrolled adults differ in utilization of evidence-based treatment for major depressive disorder?. J Immigr Minor Health. 2011 Dec.13(6):1048-1054. Pubmedid: 21805165.
• Carrion IV, Castañeda H, Martinez-Tyson D, Kline N. Barriers impeding access to primary oral health care among farmworker families in Central Florida. Soc Work Health Care. 2011 Dec.50(10):828-844. Pubmedid: 22136348.
• Jang Y, Chiriboga DA, Herrera JR, Martinez Tyson D, Schonfeld L. Attitudes toward mental health services in Hispanic older adults: the role of misconceptions and personal beliefs. Community Ment Health J. 2011 Apr.47(2):164-170. Pubmedid: 20091227.
• Gwede CK, Menard JM, Martinez-Tyson D, Lee JH, Vadaparampil ST, Padhya TA, Meade CD. Strategies for assessing community challenges and strengths for cancer disparities participatory research and outreach. Health Promot Pract. 2010 Nov.11(6):876-887. Pubmedid: 19515858. Pmcid: PMC2888920.
• Luque JS, Castañeda H, Tyson DM, Vargas N, Proctor S, Meade CD. HPV AWARENESS AMONG LATINA IMMIGRANTS AND ANGLO AMERICAN WOMEN IN THE SOUTHERN U.S.: CULTURAL MODELS OF CERVICAL CANCER RISK FACTORS AND BELIEFS. NAPA Bull. 2010 Nov.34(1):84-104. Pubmedid: 21116468. Pmcid: PMC2992330.
• Gwede CK, Ward BG, Luque JS, Vadaparampil ST, Rivers D, Martinez-Tyson D, Noel-Thomas S, Meade CD. Application of Geographic Information Systems and Asset Mapping to Facilitate Identification of Colorectal Cancer Screening Resources. Online J Public Health Inform. 2010 Jan.2(1):2893. Pubmedid: 20976019.
• Martinez-Tyson D, Pathak EB, Soler-Vila H, Flores AM. Looking under the Hispanic umbrella: cancer mortality among Cubans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics in Florida. J Immigr Minor Health. 2009 Aug.11(4):249-257. Pubmedid: 18506623. Pmcid: PMC3086376.
• Meade C, Menard J, Martinez D, Calvo A. Impacting health disparities through community outreach: utilizing the CLEAN look (culture, literacy, education, assessment, and networking). Cancer Control. 2007 Jan.14(1):70-77. Pubmedid: 17242673.
• Meade C, Martinez D, Schullo S, McMillan S. Distance learning for communicating cancer, culture, and literacy: a model for cancer control advancement. J Cancer Educ. 2006 Jun.21(2):63-70. Pubmedid: 17020515.
• Himmelgreen DA, Pérez-Escamilla R, Martinez D, Bretnall A, Eells B, Peng Y, Bermúdez A. The longer you stay, the bigger you get: length of time and language use in the U.S. are associated with obesity in Puerto Rican women. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2004 Sep.125(1):90-96. Pubmedid: 15293335.
• Martinez D, Loi C, Martinez M, Flores A, Meade C. Development of a cancer camp for adult Spanish-speaking survivors: lessons learned from Camp Alegria. J Cancer Educ. 23(1):4-9. Pubmedid: 18444040.