The researcher behind the atlas.
Gerold Delgado Dermid (he/him) is a PhD candidate in Advertising — Health Marketing & Consumer Behavior — at The University of Texas at Austin. His research centers the roles of identity, agency, and motivation in consumer behavior, drawing on two decades of industry experience in policy, healthcare, and marketing to ask questions grounded in practice.
His work builds deeper understandings of diverse communities to effect co-created, community-responsive, place-based solutions to social problems — spanning risk perception, health marketing, signaling theory, asset building, and belonging, with an emphasis on AI and technological innovation in health marketing and consumer decision-making. Methods range from machine learning and digital analytics to GIS mapping, field research, and experimental design.
The Impact of Identity Value in Employer Attractiveness for the Job-Seeking Consumer Marketplace
Proposes and tests an extension to the employer attractiveness model by introducing identity value — the perceived value to applicants of having their social identities recognized, respected, and supported by the employer, over and above instrumental and symbolic benefits. Grounded in social identity theory, the dissertation uses an experimental design to show effects of identity value on employer attractiveness, intention to apply, anticipated belonging, and anticipated retention.
Founder & Principal Researcher (2026–present)
Research Assistant (2023–present) · Teaching Assistant (2022–present)
Executive Director (2025–present) · Director, Nevada Public Health Training Center (2025–present) · Director, Nevada Environmental Justice Training Center (2025–present)
Faculty, Health Behavior, Policy & Administrative Sciences (2010–present) · Administrative Faculty, Partnership Development & Career Mentorship, Department of Public Health Practice (2025–present) · Assistant Director, Strategy, Marketing & Research, Larson Institute for Health Impact and Equity (2024–2025) · Founding Director, Larson Institute (2021–2024) · Director, Nevada WEST Environmental Justice TA & Training Center (2023–2025) · Health Marketing & Equity Research Lab Director (2022–2024) · Director, Nevada Public Health Training Center (2013–2025) · Director, Community Relations & Field Studies (2012–2014)
Health Educator II, Sexual Health Program (2006–2012) · Founding Chair, Washoe County Latino Health Collaborative (2005–2010) · Health Educator I, Latino Tobacco Prevention Project (2004–2006)
Refereed journal articles
Ciszek, E., Dermid, G., Shah, M., Mocarski, R., Hope, D., & Woodruff, N. (2024). Health communication in an era of disinformation: Perceived source credibility among transgender and gender diverse individuals. Journal of Health Communication, 1–8.
Etiler, N., Altinay, Z., Lensch, T., Dermid, G., & Akpinar-Elci, M. (2024). Correlations between environmental justice indicators and community-level COVID-19 vaccination rates among older adults. Discover Public Health, 21(1), 187.
Etiler, N., Lensch, T., Scavacini, V., Chavez, L., & Dermid, G. (2025). Factors associated with self-reported abuse among transgender and gender diverse young adults. Transgender Health.
Kwon, P., Walters, S., Rathore, L., Dermid, G., et al. (2026). Mental health evaluation letters required for gender-affirming surgeries: a form of healthcare discrimination. International Journal of Transgender Health.
Love, B., Coffman, R., Ghosh, C., Cofer, J., Hurst, A., Oestman, K., Aquino, M., Kriss, L., Shah, M., Dermid, G., Raber, M., Hawk, E., Walsh, M.T., & Rechis, R. (2024). Implementation and evaluation of a multi-level, place-based tobacco prevention and control program at a minority-serving institution in Texas. Prevention Science.
Love, B., Dermid, G., Upshaw, S., & Stark, A. (2026). Health care providers' perceptions of unmet needs among African American cancer caregivers. JMIR Cancer, 12(1), e76266.
Love, B., Ghosh, C., Kriss, L., Vieco-Garcia, M., Fick, H., Shin, E., Wagner, J., De Luca, D., Dermid, G., et al. (2024). Building and maintaining a whole community initiative: Health communication in practice with Be Well Communities. Health Communication, 1–9.
Love, B., Ghosh, C., Oestman, K., Aquino, M., Coffman, R., Shah, M., Dermid, G., & Rechis, R. (2024). Understanding the impact of community-based sun safety interventions on a college campus in Texas. Journal of American College Health, 1–8.
Luna, G., Dermid, G., & Unger, J. B. (2024). Fentanyl harm reduction strategies among Latinx communities in the United States: a scoping review. Harm Reduction Journal, 21(1), 150.
Davis, N., Sevilla, J., & Dermid, G. The effect of racial diversity representation on preference for stigmatized products. Second review, Journal of Marketing Research.
Dermid, G. & Pena, P. Location-based data for healthcare. First review, Technology and Healthcare Seeking (Palgrave).
Dermid, G. & Pena, P. Exponential stigmatization: The role of targeted marketing of stigmatized services among marginalized populations. In preparation for Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.
Ciszek, E. & Dermid, G. (2025). Conducting health campaign research with transgender and gender-diverse individuals. In Research Methods for the Marginalized. Arthur W. Page Center.
Dudo, A., Kahlor, L. A., & Dermid, G. (2025). Promising ethical practices in supporting science: Insights from non-profit leaders. Center for Media Engagement.
Grants & funding
Conference presentations
Dermid, G. (2026). The value of identity in recruiting a diverse workforce: A conceptual model. Baruch Research Symposium, New York, NY.
Dermid, G., Finkelstein, S., Hill, R., Saka, S., Satornino, C., Van Der Sluis, H., & Rank-Christman, T. (2025). Implications of neurodivergence in the marketplace. Roundtable, Marketing and Public Policy Conference, Washington, DC.
Noel, H., Wortylko, L., Rhiney, E., & Dermid, G. (2025). Using AI for assessment of student learning. Marketing Management Association Fall Educators Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
Dermid, G. & Morning, K. (2025). Cultivating sweet dreams through community-responsive health marketing for safe infant sleep. APHA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
Bobadilla, B. & Dermid, G. (2025). Safer Nights: Elevating musicians as community health workers for peer-led harm reduction. APHA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
Dermid, G. (2025). From compliance to transformation: Advancing ethical leadership. APHA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
Dermid, G. & Morning, K. (2024). Building bridges and amplifying voices: Applying a culture-centered approach to health marketing. International Communication Association, Gold Coast, Australia.
Morning, K. & Dermid, G. (2024). Strengthening the voice of LGBTQ Black youth through marketing. ICA Pre-Conference, Sydney, Australia.
Dermid, G. (2024). Mental health policy action among Black and LGBT youth in Nevada. US HHS Health and Equity Forum, online.
Dermid, G., Telles, T., Gregg, A., Dortch, T., & Durgampudi, P. (2026). Creating a public health belonging community — strategies for workforce pipelining. Plenary, Nevada Public Health Association, Las Vegas, NV.
Dermid, G. & Morning, K. (2023). Communicating data effectively: Making statistics stylish. World Congress on Public Health, Rome, Italy.
Dermid, G. & Lothrop, N. (2024). Environmental justice: Past, present, and future directions for Nevada and beyond. Nevada Rural Health Summit, Las Vegas, NV.
- ADV 344K — Research Methods in Advertising and Marketing (TA, 2025)
- COM 334 — Health Communication Theory and Practice (online TA, 2025)
- COM 308H — Life of the Community (TA, Honors College, 2024, 2026)
- UGS 303 — Thinking About Thinking (TA & Section Lead, 2023–2024)
- ADV 318J — Introduction to Advertising and Integrated Brand Promotions (online TA, 2022)
- Global Health Marketing and Promotion (service learning, 2011–present)
- Social Media Marketing in Health (2014–present)
- Research Methods and Digital Analytics (2025)
- Health and Wellness Marketing (2019–2021)
- Crisis Communications and Marketing (2013–2016, 2021)
- Spotlight on Global Health Research & Practice — experiential courses in Paraguay, Rwanda, South Africa, Türkiye, and Kenya (2011–2024)
Full CV, references, and research statements available on request.
On the academic job market for Fall 2027 appointments · PhD anticipated May 2027.