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 (2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health), yet less than half of those with illness actually receive services. Homeless adults are disproportionately affected in comparison to the general population, with over half of adults living in permanent supportive housing having a serious mental illness or co-occuring mental and substance-use disorder (HUD, 2016).
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; spiritual well-being; and quality of life among special populations, including caregivers and cancer survivors.
CHS Leaders in Mental Health
Dr. Jeannie Concha
Associate Professor of Public Health
jeannie@utep.edu
Specialization: Mental health and coping
Communities of Practice: TTUHSC-EL PASO/UTEP Collaborative Research Community
Dr. Cecilia Fierro
Clinical Assoc. Professor of Occupational Therapy
cfierro6@utep.edu
Specialization: Quality of life and caregiver burden
Communities of Practice: Aging, Health-Focused Interprofessional Education, Mental and Emotional Well-Being
Dr. Bruce Friedman
Professor of Social Work
bdfriedman@utep.edu
Specialization: Spirituality; substance abuse
Dr. Hyejin Jung
Associate Professor of Social Work
hjung2@utep.edu
Specialization: Disparities in mental health care; mental health literacy and education; mental health in subsidized housing
Communities of Practice: Mental and Emotional Well-Being
Dr. Beatrice Lee
Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences
ylee6@utep.edu
Specialization: Identification of malleable risk and protective factors assisting people with disabilities to deal more effectively with stress; promotion of mental health and well-being in individuals with neurological disorders
Dr. Jason Mallonee
Assistant Professor of Social Work
jrmallonee@utep.edu
Specialization: Recovery-oriented practice; serious mental health conditions; client engagement; the therapeutic relationship
Dr. Viridiana Ortiz
Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work
vortiz19@utep.edu
Specialization: Generational trauma; Hispanic mental health; culturally oriented mental health practices; interdisciplinary approaches
Dr. Yok-Fong Paat
Associate Professor of Social Work
ypaat@utep.edu
Specialization: Family health; health behavior; mental health; child well-being; social integration; altruism
Dr. Emre Umucu
Associate Professor of Public Health, Associate Dean for Research
eumucu@utep.edu
Specialization: Combat exposure and traumatic experiences among veterans; interdisciplinary mental health, substance use, and addiction research and policy implications; positive psychology approaches in health, counseling, and psychology
Dr. Carolina Valencia
Director, Bachelor of Rehabilitation Sciences Program
cvalencia4@utep.edu
Specialization: Role of biopsychosocial factors in chronic pain and pain disparities
Dr. Cynthia Wittenburg
Asst. Professor of Instruction, Public Health Sciences
cwittenburg@utep.edu
Specialization: Pediatric and adult cancer survivorship; quality of life in cancer survivors
