Collaborators

Roberto L. Abreu (he/him/él) is an Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology and the director of the Collective Healing and Empowering VoicEs through Research and Engagement (¡Chévere!) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Florida (UF). He is also an affiliate faculty in Center for Latin American Studies, and the Department for Gender, Sexualities and Women’s Studies Research at UF. Roberto’s externally funded research agenda explores ways in which marginalized communities resist systemic oppression and promote collective well-being. Specifically, Roberto's work has made significant contributions in the areas of: (1) relational experiences and mental health outcomes among Latinx LGBTQ youth and their families and communities, (2) relational experiences and mental health outcomes among transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth and their families and communities, and (3) LGBTQ adults’ experiences of discrimination, oppression, violence, support, and joy.

Dr. Gloria Wong-Padoongpatt is an Assistant Professor at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada. The centerpiece of her research focuses on mental health issues among marginalized individuals. Dr. Wong-Padoongpatt investigates the impact, mechanisms, and individual variations in stress responses to microaggressions, an everyday form of discrimination. She also examines the ethnic and gender differences in risk-factors for different types of addictions. More recently, she has invested the impact on the COVID-19 pandemic on the most vulnerable communities and the anti-Asian sentiments during the pandemic. Wong-Padoongpatt's research has been published in the Race and Social Problems, the Journal of Counseling Psychology, the Behavioral Medicine, and the Asian American Journal of Psychology, among others. Dr. Wong-Padoongpatt holds an executive position for the Asian American Psychological Association as the communication officer. Outside scholarly work, Wong-Padoongpatt loves to coach hockey and advocates for womyn in professional sports.  

Dr. Galupo (they/she) is currently the Audre Lorde Distinguished Professor of Sexual Health & Education at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Their research interests focus on the intersection of sexual orientation and gender identity, with a particular focus on understanding nonbinary expressions of bisexual and trans experience. Paz’s long-standing research program centers those most marginalized in the LGBTQ+ community (i.e., transgender, bisexual, and LGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous, and People of Color [BIPOC]). Paz has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and chapters and developed eight different research measures. Prior to joining the Brown School, Paz served as Professor of Psychology at Towson University.

Paz is currently the Editor of the Journal of Bisexuality and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Transgender Health, the official journal of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. In 2019, Paz was appointed as Editor for Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (the official journal for Division 44 of the American Psychological Association). 

Dr. Carbajal is an Assistant Professor at Oregon State University. Dr. Carbajal is the director of the PILAS Lab whose research program is aimed at incorporating critical perspectives in cognitive and cultural psychology. His research employs EEG, behavioral, and survey methods to investigate phenomenon through a culturally sensitive framework. In his off time, Dr. Carbajal enjoys reading queer sci-fi novels, crocheting, and discovering new music.

Dr. Garcini is an Assistant Professor at Rice University. Dr. Garcini’s research, community, advocacy, and policy work focuses on identifying, understanding, and addressing the health needs of historically marginalized communities from a biobehavioral and sociocultural perspective. Using a socioecological approach and a social determinants of health lens, Dr. Garcini’s interdisciplinary research is aimed at informing population health by identifying mechanisms of risk and resilience in the face of social disadvantage and life adversity. In using community-engaged science, biomarkers in the field, and a wide range of epidemiological and mixed-methodologies to the study of historically marginalized populations, Dr. Garcini’s goal is to contribute to health equity by increasing inclusivity and diversity in science. Dr. Garcini’s contributions to equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice are evident in her track record of publications, presentations, awards received, and funding allocated. Her work and advocacy efforts have received widespread media coverage in avenues such as Univision, Telemundo, CBS, Medical News Today, U.S. News and World Report, MSN, Global News Report, and the Oprah’s Book Club, among others. Dr. Garcini’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the health and social sciences is evident through her service and mentoring endeavors across settings and organizations. 

Dr. Moreno is an Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Oswaldo Moreno’s research involves understanding and addressing health equity and healthcare disparities and inequalities in the United States that affect individuals from racial/ethnic minoritized backgrounds, especially the Latinx/e immigrant and Spanish-speaking communities. Dr. Moreno’s research program also includes intersectional approaches to immigration and cultural, contextual, and systemic factors on health outcomes. His research projects have included cultural and ethnic minority health, Latinx/e immigrant health, culturally sensitive interventions, psychology of religion, as well as substance use and mood disorder prevention efforts for Latinx/e youth and families.

Currently, Dr. Moreno directs La Esperanza Research Program, which is working on culturally enhancing a group-based motivational interviewing intervention for Latinx/e adolescents, identifying priorities, use of services, and behaviors related to health and comorbidities among youth and families in marginalized communities in the greater Virginia area (VCU iCube), as well as exploring early immigration, anti-immigration sentiment and policies on the psychological well-being among first-generation Latinx/e immigrants. 

Dr. Robnett received her doctoral degree in Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She joined the UNLV Department of Psychology in 2013. Dr. Robnett’s interdisciplinary program of research draws from developmental science, social psychology, educational psychology, and gender studies to attain a holistic understanding of social development during adolescence and emerging adulthood. Much of Dr. Robnett’s research focuses on identifying, understanding, and rectifying social-structural inequities in academic contexts and society more generally. Specific areas of study include gender stereotyping, critical consciousness/empowerment, academic decision-making, and romantic relationship norms. Dr. Robnett’s research is supported through grants from the National Science Foundation. She is the Director of the Women’s Research Institute of Nevada and an Associate Editor at Psychology of Women Quarterly and Sex Roles: A Journal of Research. 

The inaugural CYSEW Associate Director is Dr. Germán A. Cadenas, an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP). Dr. Cadenas identifies as an immigrant from Latin America and his academic work is community-based, with intersecting foci on the psychology of immigration and on critical consciousness as a tool for social justice. This includes the development and validation of strategies to support the psychological well-being, education, career/work, and health of immigrants and other underserved communities. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Counseling Psychology and serves on the Advocacy Coordinating Committee (ACC) of the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Venta returned to the University of Houston as an Associate Professor of Psychology after five years on the faculty at Sam Houston State University. She received her B.A. from Rice University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at DePelchin Children’s Center through the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, where she remains Adjunct Faculty. Dr. Venta’s clinical training focused on children, adolescents, and families, with practicum placements at DePelchin Children’s Center and Texas Children’s Hospital. She also provided psychological services within the University of Houston’s Psychology Research and Services Center and in several Houston-area schools. Her primary research interests are the development of psychopathology in youth and the protective effect of attachment security, with additional interests in emotion dysregulation and social cognition. She has recently focused on the psychological functioning of recently immigrated adolescents from Central America, with related research and clinical work. She has received research funding from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Institutes of Mental Health, and the American Psychological Foundation.