Silvia Riva

Dr. Silvia Riva serves as Associate Professor of Psychology at St. Mary's University, where she leads the Biopsychosocial Health & Wellbeing Cluster within the Centre for Applied Social and Health Sciences. She holds dual credentials as a HCPC-registered clinical psychologist and Certified Cognitive Behavioural Therapist specializing in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT).

Her academic journey includes a Bachelor's (2003) and Master's in Clinical Psychology (2005) from Milan's Catholic University of Sacred Heart, followed by a Doctor Europaeus PhD (2012) investigating heuristics in medical decision-making.

Riva's research centers on decision processes under stress, risk, and uncertainty, particularly within healthcare contexts. She examines how environmental and educational interventions can improve health-related quality of life and coping mechanisms. Her work bridges cognitive psychology with practical clinical applications, focusing on financial toxicity in cancer care, vaccine hesitancy, and burden-of-disease metrics. Recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on patient-reported outcomes, cross-cultural validation of assessment tools, and behavioral interventions for health promotion, with significant contributions to oncology policy and pandemic response frameworks.

Her scientific recognition includes a prestigious Marie Curie Research Fellowship (H2020-MSCA-IF-2015) and Fellowship in the Higher Education Academy.

Riva actively mentors doctoral candidates including Samuel Lam (digital technology's impact on wellbeing), Daniel Haruna (workplace diversity), and Alkesh Patel (financial toxicity in UK cancer care). She leads multiple funded projects such as the TRUST study on vaccine boosters, unCoVer for rapid pandemic response, and PROFFIT for measuring cancer-related financial burden.

As Biopsychosocial Health & Wellbeing Cluster Lead, she coordinates interdisciplinary teams spanning the European Burden of Disease Network, COCAG career guidance initiative, and Laudato Si' environmental projects, integrating psychological science with real-world health policy solutions.