Paola Roldan
Email: roldanpm@vcu.edu
Pronouns: She/her/ella
Paola Roldán is a doctoral candidate at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. Her research investigates the employment experiences of LGBTQ+ people, focusing on both affirming and non-affirming encounters in job-seeking and workplace environments. She explores the diverse coping strategies LGBTQ+ individuals employ to navigate these situations and examines how these experiences and coping mechanisms influence their workplace well-being. Her goal is to apply this knowledge to inform the development of interventions and policies that promote affirmative behaviors and attitudes toward LGBTQ+ individuals in hiring and employment settings.
Roldán received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Universidad del Valle (2002) and a master’s in environmental economics from Universidad de los Andes (2006). Before beginning the doctoral program, she was a faculty member of the economics department at Universidad del Norte, in Barranquilla, Colombia, where she taught and conducted research in applied econometrics and impact evaluation in labor, youth and gender programs.
In her free time, Paola stays active by working out and hiking, enjoys playing with her cats, and values spending quality time with family and friends to maintain a balanced and fulfilling life.
Areas of interest
- Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
- Employment Experiences
- Workplace Well-being
- Intersectionality
- Women’s Employment
- Gender
Education and credentials
Post-baccalaureate graduate certificate in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies Certificate, VCU
M.S., Universidad de Los Andes
B.A., Universidad del Valle
Work
Selected publications
Roldán, P., Matijczak, A., & Goffnett, J. (2024, February). Negative Associations between Minority Stressors and Self-Reported Health Status among Sexual Minority Adults Living in Colombia. In Healthcare (Vol. 12, No. 4, p. 429). MDPI.
Roldán, P.M., & Gattis, M.N. Homophobic Incidents and Active Bystander Behavior: Heterosexual’s Intentions to Intervene in Colombia.[Manuscript submitted for publication]. School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Roldán, P., Goffnett, J., Clary, K., & Matijczak, A “I retired and I transitioned”: Employment experiences of transgender and gender diverse Texans. [Manuscript submitted for publication]. School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Professional highlights
Selected presentations
Wagaman, A., Gattis, M., Kemmerer, A., Roldán, P., & Straka-Mai., K. Developing and Evaluating Marsha & Marians’ Neighbors: A Shared Housing Program Model for Youth, Pregnant/Parenting Youth and youth at the intersection (Symposium). SSWR 28th Annual Conference, Washington D.C., 2024
Roldán, P., & Matijczak, A. (Jul 29-30 2022). Sexual Minority Adults Self-reported Health Status: Differences in Associations with Minority Stressors.[Oral presentation]. 2022 National LGBTQ Health Conference, Chicago, IL.
Roldán, P., Murphy, J.M., Saleh, M., & Kuttikat, M. Community Health Workers’ Perspectives on parental behavior, parental practices, and family relationship among Sri Lankan Tamils. [Online Oral presentation ]. 18th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, 2022.
Accomplishments
- 2024 Hans S. Falck Scholarship, VCU School of Social Work
- 2023: Diversity Scholarship award to participate in the 2023 ICPSR Summer Program In Quantitative Methods. An Arbor. MI, United States