Room 1 - Dr. Mayra Y. Bámaca-Colbert

• In Event: Friday Afternoon Chat with Leaders

Abstract

Dr. Bámaca is an Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of California, Merced. She began her faculty career at The Pennsylvania State University where she was a professor in Human Development and Family Studies. She immigrated from Guatemala at the age of 17. Her undergraduate education was completed at Cal State University, Northridge. There, she met a wonderful professor who asked her "have you thought about getting a Ph.D.?" to which Dr. B replied, "what is a Ph.D.?" Dr. Bámaca's research focuses on providing a more in-depth understanding of Latino youth and families’ experiences across development and contextual realities. Specifically, her work lies at the intersection of culture (e.g., acculturation), developmental processes (e.g., autonomy, puberty) and contexts of development (e.g., family, peers, neighborhoods) and how these domains contribute to the behavioral and health outcomes of Latino youth. She has written about Latinos residing in traditional immigrant destinations such as Los Angeles and Phoenix as well as families residing in new locations/new destinations such Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She has also collaborated with a colleague in Spain who collected data from Latin American immigrants residing in Spain. She has been conducting research with Latino populations for over 20 years.

Author

• Mayra Y Bamaca, University of California-Merced
  Leader