John Ruiz

Professor, Clinical
Director, Social Risk and Resilience Factors (SuRRF) Lab
Ruiz Headshot

Psychology 217F

520-621-2177
johnruiz@arizona.edu
Pronouns:
He, Him, His, El

Key Roles:

Research Interests: 

  • Investigate how social lives constitute both risk and resilience for physical health.
  • Emphasis on racial/ethnic and cultural differences in the above effects.
  • Use of a variety of methods including community and hospital-based observational studies, surveys, ecological momentary assessment, ambulatory psychophysiology, and laboratory-based paradigms.
  • The lab’s current foci include studies of stress and cardiovascular risk, social integration as a modifiable resilience mechanism, and drivers of the Hispanic Health Paradox.

Updated: 08/27/25

Selected Publications: 

  • Ruiz, J. M., Hamann, H. H., O’Connor, M. F., & Mehl, M. (2016). The Hispanic Health Paradox:  From Epidemiological Phenomenon to Contribution Opportunities for Psychological Science. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations.
  • Ruiz, J. M., Steffen, P., & Smith, T. B. (2013).  The Hispanic mortality paradox: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the longitudinal literature. American Journal of Public Health, 103, e1-e9.
  • O’Neill, R.M., Jovel, K.S., Friedman, S.E., Sbarra, D.A., Hamann, H.A., & Ruiz, J.M. (2025). Examining social vigilance and associated physiological effects across types of situational stress. Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine.
  • Ruiz, J. M., Taylor, D. J., Uchino, B. N., Smith, T. W., Allison, M., Ahn, C., Johnson, J., & Smyth, J. M. (2017). Evaluating the longitudinal risk of social vigilance on atherosclerosis: Study protocol for the North Texas Heart Study. BMJ Open. 0:e017345. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017345
  • Ruiz, J. M., and France, C. R. (2019). Introduction to the special section: Behavioral medicine at 40: origins, achievements, and future directions. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 42, 1-4.
  • US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Breast Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. Published online April 30, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.5534
  • US Preventive Services Task Force (2022). Screening for Depression and Suicide Risk in Children and Adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. Published online October 11, 2022. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.16946

Courses Taught:

  • PSY 382 - Psychology of Health Disparities (2019)
  • PSY 383 - Health Psychology (2025)
  • PSY 587 - Foundations in Health Psychology (2026)

*Year listed indicates when this individual last taught the specified course.

Updated: 08/28/25

Degrees

  • Ph.D.