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. Bruce Friedman
Professor
PhD, Case Western Reserve University • MSW, Washington University • BA in Religion and Sociology, Case Western Reserve University • Practice Experience: Management and program development, and individual, marriage and family counseling • Research Interests: Community-based participatory and action research, culture/ethnicity, health disparities, social systems, transdisciplinary practice, homelessness, substance abuse, management/administration, international issues, spirituality • Bilingual: English and Hebrew
bdfriedman@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. Viridiana Ortiz
Clinical Assistant Professor
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
Expertise Connector Profile
Dr. Yok-Fong Paat
Professor
Provost's Faculty Fellow for Community-Engaged Scholarship
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
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
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
Dr. Sheralyn Sanchez
Adjunct Faculty
PhD, The University of Texas at El Paso • MPH, The University of Arizona • BS, Arizona State University • Research Interests: Health disparities, high-risk behaviors, women’s health, mental health, emerging adults and medical education • Bilingual: English and Spanish
sssanchez3@miners.utep.edu
Yahell Zuñiga
Adjunct Faculty
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
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
