Mariel Rivera-Piluso is a feminist ethnographer and a current Ph.D. candidate at Syracuse University in the Anthropology Department In 2019, she completed a certificate of advanced study in women and gender studies and a masters in anthropology from Syracuse University.

Her research interests are within medical anthropology with a specific focus on reproductive health. In addition, she is interested in how race and gender influence reproductive and maternal health experiences. For her doctoral research, she is focusing on the use of community-based doulas in Syracuse, New York, who specifically work with Black women and other women of color.