Alfonso J. Rojas-Alvarez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso. He also serves as Director of the Health Policy Lab within the College of Health Sciences, where his research group explores the intersection of public policy and health outcomes. Prior to joining UTEP, Dr. Rojas-Alvarez was a faculty member at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin.
His research investigates how variations in the implementation of public health policies across federal, state, and local governments contribute to health disparities among vulnerable populations, including Hispanic communities, border residents, and older adults with chronic conditions. He employs methods from data science, machine learning, and causal inference to rigorously assess how policies are implemented and what effects they produce.
Before moving to the United States, Dr. Rojas-Alvarez was an adviser to the Minister of the Presidency of Costa Rica, and adviser to the Minister of Tourism. Since 2007, he has been a regular op-ed columnist at Costa Rica's premier newspaper, La Nación, where he writes about evidence-based policies and current events. He has also worked as a senior data science consultant at ixpantia, specializing on data product development and data-based innovation.
About
Other Policy Evaluation
Mexico Rural Health Assessment
This project centers on a comprehensive health needs assessment of low-income and rural communities in Mexico, with a particular focus on the intersection of housing, environment, and health. Through a mixed-methods approach—including household surveys, focus groups, key informant interviews, environmental sampling, and intensive case studies—we identify how structural conditions such as poor housing, air and water quality, and agricultural practices contribute to chronic illness, mental health challenges, and barriers to care.
Publications:
The Intersection Between the Dwelling Environment and Health and Wellbeing in Impoverished Rural Puebla, Mexico Journal of Rural Studies 84 (2021), Peter Ward, Andrea Sandoval, Alfonso J. Rojas Alvarez, Melanie Ruiz. Link.
Understanding community health needs and forging an academic global health partnership in Puebla, Mexico: a mixed-methods study The Lancet Global Health 8 S13 (2020), Veronica Remmert, Christina Ciaburri, Andrea Sandoval, Claire Stephenson, Alfonso J. Rojas Alvarez, Eder Hernandez, Luis Hernandez, Peter Ward, Ricardo Ainslie, Tim Mercer. Link.
Health and housing: a comprehensive community health needs assessment of low-income communities in Puebla, Mexico Journal of General Internal Medicine 35 (2020), Tim Mercer, Veronica Remmert, Luis Hernandez, Eder Hernandez, Christina Ciaburri, Andrea Flores, Claire Stephenson, Alfonso J. Rojas Alvarez, Peter Ward, Ricardo Ainslie. Link.
Policy Elites and Binational Cooperation
We investigate how political polarization shapes the future of binational cooperation between Mexico and the United States, with a focus on foreign policy and immigration. Drawing on original survey and experimental data from graduate students in policy-related fields, we explore how partisan identity influences perceptions of the neighboring country and preferences for collaboration. Findings reveal that polarization not only affects how future policy elites view cross-border challenges but also how they might respond to efforts aimed at fostering mutual understanding in an increasingly divided political landscape.
Publications:
Political Polarization and the Binational Agenda in Mexico and the United States Latin American Policy 16 3 (2025), Carlos Moreno-Jaimes, Alfonso J. Rojas Alvarez. Link.
Immigration, priming and policy collaboration: evidence from a Mexico-United States Policy Survey, 2024. Cogent Social Sciences 11 1 (2025), Alfonso J. Rojas Alvarez, Carlos Moreno-Jaimes. Link.
Pollution as a Health Policy Priority
Examination of the short-term relationship between air pollution and public safety in Medellín, Colombia, using data from 2017 to 2019. By analyzing daily incident reports alongside PM2.5 pollution levels, we identify a consistent positive correlation between air quality deterioration and increases in both violent and property-related incidents. The findings offer empirical evidence that environmental improvements may yield public safety benefits, providing policymakers with a valuable tool for evaluating the broader social impacts of air quality interventions in urban Latin America.
Publications:
Air Pollution and Safety Incidents: A Health Policy Case Study with Property and Violent Incidents in Medellín, Colombia, 2017-2019 International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development 17 1 (2025), Alfonso J. Rojas Alvarez. Link.
