Mental Health
The national Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports approximately one in five U.S. adults has any form of mental illness ( 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health), yet less than half of those with illness actually receive services. Homeless adults are disproportionately affected, with over a quarter of those living in shelters having serious mental illness and almost half having severe mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders ( 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress).
The College of Health Science’s strong partnership with the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, a local not for profit agency offering emergency shelter services, allows students to gain practical experience as interns and prepares them for a career serving vulnerable individuals. UTEP’s location on the U.S.-Mexico border presents an additional, unique opportunity for faculty and students to study mental health among migrants to the United States, as well as culturally-related coping mechanisms.
Faculty in the College of Health Sciences investigating mental health are contributing to the body of literature in this area, and have a variety of specializations, including social work practice; coping; disparities in mental health care; trauma among migrant populations; spiritual well-being; and quality of life among special populations, including veterans, caregivers and cancer survivors.
CHS Leaders in Mental Health
Dr. Candyce Berger
Professor of Social Work
Interim Chair of Social Work
Associate Dean for Research
csberger2@utep.edu
Specialization: integral behavioral health; social work practice in health care
Dr. Jeannie Concha
Assistant Professor of Public Health
jeannie@utep.edu
Specialization: Mental health and coping.
Dr. Cecilia Fierro
Clinical Asst. Professor of Occupational Therapy
cfierro6@utep.edu
Specialization: quality of life and caregiver burden
Dr. Hyejin Jung
Assistant Professor of Social Work
hjung2@utep.edu
Specialization: disparities in mental health care; mental health literacy and education; mental health in subsidized housing
Dr. Mei-Ling Lin
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy
mlin@utep.edu
Specialization: mental health
Dr. Chuling Lo
Assistant Professor of Rehabiliitation Counseling
Director, Rehabilitation Counseling Program
clo@utep.edu
Specialization: counselor training, mild traumatic brain injury, spiritual well-being
Dr. Mark Lusk
Professor of Social Work
mwlusk@utep.edu
Specialization: trauma; resilience; border mental health
Dr. Yok-Fong Paat
Associate Professor of Social Work
ypaat@utep.edu
Specialization: health behavior; social integration; child well-being; family health
Dr. Emre Umucu
Assistant Professor of Rehabiliation Counseling
eumucu@utep.edu
Specialization: veterans; substance use disorders; severe mental illnesses; happiness; resilience; well-being; positive psychology interventions
Dr. Carolina Valencia
Director, Bachelor of Rehabilitation Sciences Program
cvalencia4@utep.edu
Specialization: role of biopsychosocial factors in chronic pain and pain disparities
Ms. Cynthia Wittenburg
Lecturer, Kinesiology
cwittenburg@utep.edu
Specialization: pediatric and adult cancer survivorship; quality of life in cancer survivors
