Dr. Rivera’s research focuses on the early detection of lung cancer, disparities in lung cancer care, toxicities caused by therapies in lung cancer, and implementing and disseminating lung cancer screening. She co-developed and serves as Co-Investigator of the North Carolina (NC) Lung Screening Registry, a statewide initiative to examine the delivery, quality, and outcomes of lung cancer screening and evaluate the extent to which disparities in lung cancer screening outcomes exist. She is funded by the NIH/NCI to study lung cancer screening implementation and how underlying co-morbidities impact lung cancer screening outcomes. She collaborates with the Southeastern Consortium for Lung Cancer Health Equity through a Stand Up 2 Cancer grant improving access to lung cancer screening and exploring genetic risk scores in lung cancer screening assessment, particularly in underserved populations.