I am Lecturer in Public Health and Social Psychology, Impact Champion and Engagement Lead at School of Dentistry, University of Dundee. I joined the University in 2014, having previously worked for over 15 years as a Community Psychologist in Third Sector organisatons (projects on popular education, urban violence reduction, youth, arts and culture) and in the youth justice system in Brazil.

 My teaching and research activities focus on health promotion of vulnerable groups, stigma in healthcare settings, service user involvement, qualitative and participatory research methodologies with vulnerable and stigmatized groups.

 Currently, I lead and Co-lead interdiciplinary health / oral health/Arts based projects with priority groups in Scotland and Brazil using therorethical frameworks from Public Health, Social Psychology, Art-education, Health Promotion, Co-production and Co-design work with people experiencing homelessness, people in prison, people in recovery of drug abuse, BME women and professionals from health and social care sectors.

Awards

2025  Scottish Parliament Motion: S6M-17332. Congratulating Dr Andrea Rodriguez, University of Dundee, for her research and leadership in tackling oral health inequalities. https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/votes-and-motions/S6M-17332

2025  Scottish Knowledge Exchange Award - Highly Commended for the Knowledge Exchange Champion Category. For sustaining engagement and impact on professionals and young people experiencing homelessness by co-designing an international KE programme on homelessness in Scotland and Brazil. https://interface-online.org.uk/news/scottish-knowledge-exchange-award-winners-showcase-collaboration-at-its-finest/

2021  Stephen Fry Award - Engaged Researcher of the Year, University of Dundee.

Higher Education 

2025 - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) 

2007-2011: PhD in Social Psychology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

Research program: Psycho-social and Collective Processes. Human Rights, Youth and Professional Practices. Thesis: Labyrinths of drug trafficking: lives, practices and interventions. In search for ways out. UFRJ, 2011, 303p. 

1999-2001: Master’s in Psycho-sociology of Communities, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

Research program: Communities, Development, Environment and Social Inclusion. Dissertation: Analysis of the Life Course of Community Leaders: An Existential Approach. UFRJ / EICOS Program, 2001, 219p. 

1997-2000: Post-graduate in Theory and Professional Practice in the Existential Psychotherapy Approach (360 hours with 200 hours of practice.) 

1992-1998: Degree in Psychology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

Andrea’s teaching experiences combine research and practice to inform the training of students at UG and PG level, health and social care practitioners, and policymakers. She has experience with Master and PhD supervision of national and international students. 

Andrea has 18 years of experience delivering training for non-academic audiences on strategies to increase social participation of minority groups, to promote health and to tackle inequalities and stigmatized practices. 

Research Grants  

• Project title: REALITIES in Health Disparities: Researching Evidence-Based Alternatives in Living, Imaginative, Traumatised, Integrated, Embodied Systems. Sponsor: UKRI. Perido of the Grant: Feb 2024 - Feb 2027. Value of the Grant: £2,5M
• Project title: Women, Health and Homelessness. Sponsor: International Science Partnership Fund. Perido of the Grant: March- July 2026. Value of the Grant: £7.717
• Project title: Experiences of Oral Health Stigma - EXIST study. Sponsor: Academy of Medical Sciences Fund. Period of the Grant: June 2024- April 2026. Value of the Grant: £24,900.
• Project Title: Mapping the aspects of oral health, health and social care needs of people experiencing homelessness in Brazil. Sponsor: ISPF SFC. Period of the Grant: March 2024 to March 2025. Value of the Grant: £13,886.
• Project title: My story, my words, my mouth project. Sponsor: Centre for Public Engagement Queen Mary University of London. Period of the Grant: Jan to dec 2024. Value of the Grant: £10,000.
• Project title: Bringing Dundee Together: Public Engagement Hub. Sponsor: Innovation and Impact Development Fund. Period: June to Dec 2022. Value of the Grant: £3,200.
• Projetc title:Co-design of workshops to engage migrants and with BME women with oral health/health research. Sponsor: IIDF. Period: June to Dec 2022. Value of the Grant: £1,670.
• Project Title: ‘Do not give up on us' - a knowledge exchange training resource to promote health / oral health and to engage with people experiencing homelessness’.  Sponsor: Wellcome Trust/Public Engagement Seed Fund.  Period of the grant: 1/2/2021 to 30/3/2022 .Value of the Grant: £25,000  
• Project Title: ‘Digital health, healthcare service design and marginalisation’ .Sponsor: Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) /Interdisciplinary Incubator Grant (IIG). Period of the grant: March 2021 to Dez 2021. Value of the Grant: £4,986  
• Project Title: ‘Oral Health and Public Engagement’.  Sponsor: Stephen Fry Award. Period of the grant: April 2021 to March 2022. Value of the Grant: £1,500.  
• Project Title: ‘Making "Masculine" Pettah (Sri Lanka) More Inclusive: Familiarisation of Spaces by Women and Gender-nonconforming Persons to Reduce Inequalities and Promote Good Health and Wellbeing’. PhD Scholarship (Kaushalya Herath). Period 2019-2022. Sponsor: GCRF/SFC.  Value of the Grant: £105,430   
• Project title: Helping Young People Feel at Home in Scotland: Building Collaborative and Integrated Services for Youth Homeless through a Reflexive Mapping Approach for Health and Social Care Integration.  Period of the grant: 20th March to 15th Nov 2019. Value of grant: £17, 915.00.
• Project title: “Mapping the aspects of oral health, health and psychosocial needs of homeless youth in Brazil: exploring experiences and policy learning for vulnerable youth affected by homelessness”.  Sponsor: Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF/SFC), UoD internal Mobility Award. Period of the grant (with dates): March to Nov/2019.Value of grant: £7,315.00  
• Project title: Health and Social Care of People Experiencing Homelessness, dialogues between Brazil and Scotland.  Sponsor: PUC-Rio University, Brazil (Edital IEAHu ). Period: June to Nov/2019.  Value of Grant: R$10,000 (Real), approximated £3.000 
• Project title: A Comparative Critical Policy Analysis on the Right to Health – ‘National Health Systems from a Comparative Perspective: studies of local, regional and participatory management’.  Sponsor: Oswaldo Cruz Foundation/FIOTEC. Period of the Grant: Sep 2017 to Dec 2019. Value of the grant: £19,113   
• PhD Project title: "Labyrinths of drug trafficking: lives, practices and interventions".  Sponsor: CAPES, Brazil. Period of the grant: March 2007 to Feb 2011. Value of the grant: £50.000