Brian M. Rivers – Candidate for Board of Directors of AACR

The voting for the 2025 AACR Annual Election is now open, where members will vote for the next President-Elect, Treasurer, five Board Members, and four members of the Nominating Committee.

This year, Brian M. Rivers, PhD, MPH is a candidate for the Board of Directors of AACR.

Brian M. Rivers is a Professor in the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine and the Director of the Cancer Health Equity Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.

He previously served as an Associate Professor in the same department from 2015 to 2019.

Dr. Rivers has an extensive background in public health and cancer research, having held roles such as Associate Professor in the Department of Oncologic Science at the University of South Florida and various faculty positions at Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, where he also served as Associate Director of Moffitt Diversity.

His leadership extends to his role as Executive Director of the Florida Prostate Cancer Network and his academic contributions at Texas A and M University, where he was Associate Director and Senior Research Scientist at the Center for the Study of Health Disparities.

Dr. Rivers also has significant experience in public health research, having worked as a program manager and coordinator at the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s Prevention Research Center.

Dr. Brian M. Rivers’ research interests focus on addressing cancer disparities through behavioral science, public health, and health equity.

He is particularly dedicated to investigating health disparities in underserved populations, with a special emphasis on African American men diagnosed with prostate cancer.

His work explores innovative approaches to intervention, including multi-level, multi-domain, and multi-sectoral strategies, and the use of novel technological platforms to enhance cancer care.

Dr. Rivers is also deeply engaged in dissemination and implementation science, conducting randomized controlled trials and evaluating digital health interventions that aim to reduce disparities.

Additionally, his research extends to understanding the social and molecular determinants of lung cancer disparities, with the goal of developing population-based interventions that can improve outcomes and promote health equity across diverse communities.

Dr. Brian M. Rivers has been deeply involved with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in several key leadership roles.

He is currently the Chair of the Science Education and Career Advancement Committee (2022-2025) and Chair of the Subcommittee on the AACR Pilot High School Internship Program (2024-present). He previously served as Vice Chair of the same committee (2021-2022).

Dr. Rivers has also worked on initiatives aimed at addressing racial inequities in cancer research, including his role on the Task Force on Eliminating Racial Inequities in Cancer Research (2021-present).

His involvement spans multiple committees related to cancer disparities, such as the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report Steering Committee, and he’s been part of the program committee for the AACR’s Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities.

Dr. Rivers has co-chaired key AACR conferences and think tanks on cancer health disparities and served on several prestigious award committees, including the AACR Margaret Foti Award and the AACR Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research Award.

His broad contributions to AACR underscore his dedication to advancing cancer research, particularly in underrepresented communities.

Education

Dr. Brian M. Rivers holds a PhD in Philosophy, Health Behavior, and Health Promotion from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (2001-2004).

He also earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Social and Behavioral Science from Morehouse School of Medicine (1998-2000) and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology from Vanderbilt University (1997).

Following his doctoral studies, Dr. Rivers completed postdoctoral training as a fellow at the Center for the Study of Health Disparities at Texas A and M University (2004-2006) and at the Cancer Culture and Literacy Institute at Moffitt Cancer Center (2004-2006).

Additionally, he participated in the Emerging Leaders in Public Health Program, a fellowship through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Kenan-Flagler Business School (2004-2006).

Earlier in his career, Dr. Rivers interned in public health evaluation at the American Cancer Society (1999-2000) in Atlanta.

Honors and Awards

• Chair, United States Review Panel, Movember’s Prostate Cancer Health Equity Initiative (2024).
• Cochair, MSM Strategy Design Team (Pillar I: Translating Discovery into Health Equity) (2022-present).
• Recipient, Excellence in Mentoring Award, UAB Minority Health and Health Disparities.
• Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham (2018).
• Member, MSM Leadership Council (2018-present).
• Council Member, National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, NIH (2015-2019).
• Vice Chair, Florida Cancer Control and Research Advisory Council (2014-2015).

Interviews with Brian M. Rivers

Dr. Brian M. Rivers: Working to Achieve Cancer Health Equity – American Association for Cancer Research (20th, March 2024).

2022 Georgia Cancer Summit, Brian M. Rivers, PhD, MPH – Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University (6th August, 2022)

To vote for your chosen candidate, click here.