Bridgette M. Rice, PhD, MDiv, APRN, FAAN

The Richard and Marianne Kreider Endowed Professor in Nursing for Vulnerable Populations M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing | Villanova University

  • Villanova PA

Dr. Rice is an expert in community-based practice with a focus on gun violence, youth mental health, and health equity.

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Areas of Expertise

Adolescent Mental Health
Behavioral Health
Community & Public Health Nursing
Gun Violence
Health Equity
HIV & AIDS and Mental Health
Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention
Social Justice and Equity
Substance Absue

Biography

Dr. (Brawner) Rice began her nursing career in neonatal intensive care at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She has since expanded her work to community-based practice. A recognized behavioral health and intervention development expert, she has worked on a myriad of HIV/STI risk reduction programs both locally and internationally for youth with mental illnesses and difficulties with emotion regulation.

More recently, her methodological advances have been applied to address multiple health inequities (e.g., youth mental health service utilization, cardiovascular disease risk among young Black men, gun violence) where she uses novel approaches including mixed methods research and GIS mapping. Cognizant of the role of geography in health, her spatially-based research explicates and intervenes in factors such as neighborhood disadvantage to prevent disease and promote health equity. Dr. Rice does this community-engaged work in close collaboration with key community members (e.g., youth, faith-based institutions, and policymakers). She is a staunch justice advocate who believes that research can be leveraged as an advocacy tool to ensure all individuals have an opportunity to achieve their full health potential. She is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dr. Bridgette Executive Consulting, LLC where she works with individuals and organizations to promote the engagement and retention of racial and ethnic minoritized groups in health-related fields.

Education

Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra

Community Health Language Immersion Practicuum

2022

Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University

MDiv

2017

University of Pennsylvania

PhD

Nursing Science

2009

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Select Accomplishments

Fellow, American Academy of Nursing

2022

International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN) Diversity and Equity Award

2021

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

2021

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Select Academic Articles

A Mixed-Methods Study of Social Determinants and Self-care in Adults With Heart Failure

The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing

Osei Baah, Foster,Brawner, Bridgette M., Teitelman Anne M., Ruger Jennifer Prah, Riegel, Barbara

2023-11-01

The burden of heart failure (HF) is unequally distributed among population groups. Few study authors have described social determinants of health (SDoH) enabling/impeding self-care. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between SDoH and self-care in patients with HF.

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The Association Between Racial Attitudes, Alcohol Use and Mood Disorders Among Black Adolescents

Journal of Prevention

Ijeoma Opara, David T. Lardier, Donte Boyd, Augustine Cassis Obeng Boateng & Bridgette M. Brawner

2022-09-26

Alcohol is the most widely used substance among adolescents. Although Black adolescents use alcohol at lower rates than White adolescents, Black adolescents tend to have worse outcomes. This includes higher rates of mood disorders and criminal justice involvement associated with alcohol use and misuse compared to any other racial group. Black adolescents are also more likely to experience racial discrimination and be exposed to traumatic events within their communities, which may increase their chances of using substances. Understanding the relationship between racial attitudes (towards one’s own group and others) and substance use and mental health can provide unique and meaningful insight into prevention programming for Black adolescents. Yet, these concepts have been understudied. To fill this gap, we examined the association between racial attitudes and alcohol use and mood disorders in Black adolescents in Philadelphia, PA (N = 154).

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A Systematic Review of Neighborhood-Level Influences on HIV Vulnerability

AIDS and Behavior

Bridgette M. Brawner, Jelani Kerr, Billie F. Castle, Jaqueline A. Bannon, Stephen Bonett, Robin Stevens, Richard James & Lisa Bowleg

2021-09-03

A better understanding of the social-structural factors that influence HIV vulnerability is crucial to achieve the goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030. Given the role of neighborhoods in HIV outcomes, synthesis of findings from such research is key to inform efforts toward HIV eradication. We conducted a systematic review to examine the relationship between neighborhood-level factors (e.g., poverty) and HIV vulnerability (via sexual behaviors and substance use).

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