I am a clinical psychologist with research and clinical interests focused on 1) cultural influences to mental health conceptualization, assessment, and treatment, and 2) accessible and culturally appropriate evidence-based services for vulnerable youth and families worldwide.

After my doctoral training in at Marquette University and predoctoral internship at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) specializing in evidence-based psychosocial services for youth with Attention-Deficit, Hyperactivity/Impulsivity (ADHD), I received a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) for Individual Postdoctoral Fellows with a project entitled “Culturally Sensitive School-Home Behavioral Program for Latino Children with ADHD” funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). This mixed-method investigation of the Collaborative Life Skills (CLS) program inspired my subsequent National Institute of Health (NIH) Fogarty Global Health fellowship pilot-testing an adapted version of CLS (CLS-FUERTE) in Culiacan, Mexico. This project represented the first known effort to implement and evaluate a behavioral school-based program to improve youth attention and behavior in Latin America. My colleague, Dr. Eva Araujo from the Universidad Autonoma de Sinaloa (UAS), and I have received funding to continue implementation and evaluation of CLS-FUERTE in six additional schools over the next three years in Culiacan, Mexico.