Faculty and Staff
Dr. Eva M. Moya
Chair and Professor
Orville Edward Egbert, M.D. Endowed Professor in Health Sciences
PhD, The University of Texas at El Paso • MSSW, The University of Texas at Austin • BA, The University of Texas at El Paso • LMSW, State of Texas • Practice Experience: Border health, community organization, bi-national social work and public policy • Research Interests: Homelessness, intimate partner violence, health disparities, community health, engaged scholarship, Photovoice method, HPV Food Equity• Bilingual: Spanish and English
emmoya@utep.edu
(915) 747-8493
Expertise Connector Profile
Alma R. Armendáriz
Clinical Instructor and Field Coordinator
MSW, New Mexico State University • BSW, The University of Texas at El Paso • Practice Experience: Child welfare • Research Interests: Foster care system and youth aging out of foster care • Bilingual: English and Spanish
ararmendariz2@utep.edu
(915) 747-6595
Erica R. Balderrama
Clinical Instructor and BSW Coordinator
MSW, The University of Texas at El Paso • BSW, The University of Texas at El Paso • LMSW, State of Texas • Research Interests: LGBTQI population and life experiences, child welfare, foster care • Bilingual: English and Spanish
erbalderrama@utep.edu
(915) 747-8306
Expertise Connector Profile
Jessica Bustillos
Administrative Assistant I
jbustillos2@utep.edu
(915) 747-5095
Dr. Shinwoo Choi
Associate Professor
PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • MSSW, Columbia University • BA, McGill University • Practice Experience: Mental health services, school social work, foster care agency • Research Interests: Disaster preparedness and recovery, mental health and psychological well-being, risk communication, community resilience, decision-making in crisis, and AI literacy and access to care • Bilingual: English and Korean
schoi5@utep.edu
(915)747-8078
Dr. Hyejin Jung
Associate Professor, MSW Program Coordinator
PhD, The University of Texas at Austin • MSW, University of Alabama • BA, Pukyong National University • Practice Experience: Mental health care in hospital settings • Research Interests: Community-based practice, disparities in mental health care, mental health literacy and education, measurement and survey development, mental health in subsidized housing • Bilingual: English and Korean
hjung2@utep.edu
(915) 747-5453
Expertise Connector Profile
Dr. Jason Mallonee
Clinical Assistant Professor
DSW, University of Pennsylvania • MSW, University of Southern California • MA in Education, Antioch University • BA in Visual Art, Oberlin College • Practice Experience: Trauma and mental health treatment across the lifespan; assertive community treatment, crisis intervention, program development and administration • Research Interests: Mental health treatment engagement, mental health disparities, help-seeking, community-engaged research, program development and implementation, the therapeutic relationship, food insecurity, cyberbullying, and factors impacting the provision and receipt of mental health services.
jrmallonee@utep.edu
(915) 747-8588
Expertise Connector Profile
Rosario Olivera
Clinical Instructor
MSW, Boston University • BA, Psychology and BA Social Sciences, Westfield State College • Practice Experience: Integrated behavioral health care, policy and advocacy practice, mental health programs administration in child, adult, forensic and specialty care services • Bilingual: Spanish and English
reolivera@utep.edu
(915) 747-8397
Dr. Yok-Fong Paat
Professor
PhD, University of Oklahoma • MPS, Pennsylvania State University • MSW, University of Oklahoma • BSW, Western Michigan University • LCSW, State of Texas • Practice Experience: Child welfare, social services, and clinical counseling • Research Interests: Health behavior, community health, mental health, child well-being, violence, criminal and social justice, immigration, and homeland security • Trilingual: English, Chinese and Malay
ypaat@utep.edu
(915) 747-5789
Christina Saenz
Clinical Instructor and BSW Practicum Coordinator
MSW, The University of Texas at El Paso • BSW with Minor in Speech Language Pathology, The University of Texas at El Paso • LMSW, State of Texas • Practice Experience: Child welfare, foster care, military child welfare, and medical social work • Research Interests: Foster care, medical social work, and social work role in interprofessional healthcare • Bilingual: English and Spanish
crsaenz2@utep.edu
(915) 747-0272
Dr. Jennifer J. Salinas
Associate Professor
PhD, The University of Texas at Austin • MSW, The University of Pennsylvania • BA, The University of Massachusetts at Amherst • LMSW, State of Texas • Practice Experience: Inpatient medical, outpatient/inpatient psychiatry, community engagement, disease prevention • Research Interests: Health disparities, social determinants of health, healthy eating and active living, cancer and chronic disease prevention• Bilingual: Spanish and English
jsalinas7@utep.edu
(915) 747-7292
Anthony Thornton
Director of the Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Collaborative
PhD student, Arizona State University • MSW, University of Texas San Antonio • BSP, University of Phoenix • LCSW, State of Arizona • Practice Experience: Inpatient and outpatient community mental health and private practice • Research Interests: public child welfare, generalist social work practice and community mental health with minority children and families.
agthornton2@utep.edu
(915) 747-8317
Yahell Zuñiga
Clinical Instructor
MSW, University of Denver • BSW, The University of Texas at El Paso • LCSW, State of Texas• Practice Experience: Children and adolescent mental health, early childhood intervention, children with disabilities, family court services, clinical counseling, clinical supervision • Research Interests: family dynamics, early attachment, nurturing parenting • Bilingual: English and Spanish
yzuniga@utep.edu
Professor Emeritus
Dr. Candyce Berger
Professor Emeritus
PhD, University of Southern California • MSW, George Warren Brown School of Social Work • BA, Washington University in S. Louis • Practice Experience: Care, hospital administration, academic administration • Research Interests: Leadership, conflict management, program development, research and grant development
cberger2@utep.edu
(631) 513-0931
Dr. Mark Lusk
Professor Emeritus
Ed.D. and MSW, University of Kentucky • BA, New Mexico State University • LMSW, State of Texas • Practice Experience: Mental health, international development • Research Interests: Migration, trauma, resilience • Tri-lingual: English, Spanish and Portuguese
mwlusk@utep.edu
(915) 929-4200
Expertise Connector Profile
Adjunct Faculty
Jessica Ayala
Adjunt Faculty
MSW, The University of Texas at El Paso • BSW, The University of Texas at El Paso • LMSW, State of Texas• Practice Experience: Program development and administration, community engagement, health education• Research Interests: sexual health, social determinants of health, interventions to reduce health inequalities • Bilingual: English and Spanish
jayala8@utep.edu
(915) 747-6313
Silvia Chavez-Baray
Adjunct Faculty
PhD in Psychology, Instituto Humanista de Sinaloa, Mexico • Master of Science in Child Psychology, Instituto Humanista de Sinaloa • Licenciada – Psychology, Centro de Estudios Universitarios, Monterrey • Practice Experience: Child welfare, clinical counseling, guardianship, foster care and adoption • Research Interests: Health, intimate partner violence and clinical assessment, migration • Bilingual: Spanish and English
smchavezbaray@utep.edu
Dr. Lauren Gibson
Adjunct Faculty
DSW, Tulane University • MSW, Florida State University • LCSW, State of Texas • Practice Experience: Military, grief, trauma, primary care behavioral health, counseling with individual and families, oncology, trauma therapy, personality disorders • Research Interests: Prolonged grief disorder and complicated grief in the military, primary care behavioral health interventions, compassion fatigue, and suicide prevention.
lpgibson2@utep.edu
Bobbi Jo Ortiz
Adjunct Faculty
BA, The University of Texas at El Paso • MSW, New Mexico State University • LCSW, State of Texas • Practice Experience: nonprofit leadership, program development and administration, clinical therapy, community engagement • Research Interests: youth mentoring, mental health, interventions that strengthen family and community well-being
bjortiz4@utep.edu
Dr. Eden Hernandez Robles
Adjunct Faculty
PhD, The University of Texas at Austin • MSW, Our Lady of the Lake University • BSW, Our Lady of the Lake University • Practice Experience: Medical and child and adolescent psychiatry administration, comprehensive community social services management, local and international collective impact leadership, mental health and substance use advocacy, program development for patient navigation, and leadership and administration. • Research Interests: substance use and mental health equity, cultural and socioeconomic influences on health-related behaviors. Bilingual: English and Spanish
Dr. Vidiriana Ortiz
Adjunct Faculty
PhD, Our Lady of the Lake University • MSW, The University of Texas at El Paso • BSW, The University of Texas at El Paso • LCSW-S, State of Texas • Practice Experience: Medical social work, integrated medical and behavioral health model, mental health services with Native American and Hispanic children, adolescents and adults, crisis intervention, mental health program administration and development • Research Interests: Mental health disparities in minority communities, cultural competence, community-based behavioral health practice, and immigration • Bilingual: English and Spanish
vortiz19@utep.edu
(915)747-8382
Roberto Vara
Adjunct Faculty
MSW, New Mexico State University • BSW, The University of Texas at El Paso • Practice Experience: School Social Worker• Bilingual: English and Spanish
rvara@utep.edu
