Dr. Rivera was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
in 1950. He immigrated to the US in 1957 with his mother during
the height of the Puerto Rican Diaspora where he lived in The Bronx
until 1972. He attended New York City public schools and graduated
from Aviation High School in Queens, NY. He attended The City College
of New York graduating with honors in 1972. He received his M.D.
degree from Harvard Medical School in 1976 and completed residency
training in pediatrics in 1979 at Bronx Municipal Hospital, Albert
Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York. In 1986 he completed
fellowship training in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition
at Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine,
Houston Texas. Dr. Rivera is board certified in pediatrics and
pediatric gastroenterology.
Current Work
Dr. Rivera serves as an appointed
member of Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner’s administration
in the capacity of Chairman, Governor’s Advisory Council
on Hispanic Affairs. He is a Director of the United Way of Delaware
and a member of its Executive & Finance Committees and a Director
of The Grand Opera of Delaware. From 1995 to 1998 he served as
a Kellogg Foundation National Leadership Fellow where he concentrated
his learning on leadership and public education. Dr. Rivera is
a co-founder of the Delaware Hispanic Political Action Committee
and Delaware Friends of Aspira Committee.
Dr. Rivera’s public work focuses
on leadership development, community economic development and public
education.
Work Relevant to Hablamos Juntos
Dr. Rivera practiced medicine in
Delaware from 1987 to 1999 and was the state’s first pediatric
gastroenterologist. In 1999 he accepted a full-time position as
Chief Medical Officer of Coventry Health Care of Delaware. As Chief
Medical Officer had responsibility for 150,000 members living in
four states. In 2001 he joined Elder Health Pennsylvania HMO as
its founding Medical Director. Elder Health specializes in managed
care for the economically disadvantaged Medicare population Philadelphia.
In 2002 Dr. Rivera was appointed to the National Advisory Committee
of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Hablamos Juntos (We
Speak Together) Program. In 2002, the Hablamos Juntos Program will
granted ten million dollars to organizations across the country
to design model programs to eliminate language barriers to health
care for Hispanics.
Email: rivera@post.harvard.edu
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