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ACCESS for Mental Health

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ACCESS for Mental Health
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Tara G. Mehta PhD

  • Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology
  • Director of Psychology Training
Dr. Mehta is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of Psychology Training in the Institute for Juvenile Research at the University of Illinois Chicago.  The central theme of Dr. Mehta’s work is to reduce the persistent disparities in access to mental health services for ethnic minority children and families. Dr. Mehta's work is based in an ecological public health model and she conducts community-based collaborative research focused on (1) developing culturally responsive, alternative models of mental health services for children and youth and (2) workforce development to enhance the capacity of community organizations to sustain accessible, effective services that enhance children’s and youth's well-being and promote mental health. Dr. Mehta is part of a team that has developed new mental health service models that promote children’s mental health and increase the accessibility, effectiveness, and sustainability of children’s mental health services.  Her specific interests include leveraging natural resources (teachers, staff) in settings critical to children’s development and mental health (school, after-school), activating paraprofessionals to promote and enhance services, and enhancing organizational factors that are crucial to maintain and sustain effective practices. Dr. Mehta has collaborated with multiple partners in Chicago, including the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District, community mental health centers, and non-profit organizations.

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Tara Mehta

Ranya Al-Khayyat MS

  • Research Associate II, ACCESS for Mental Health

Ranya is currently a Research Associate working with Dr. Tara Mehta in the ACCESS for Mental Health Lab. She received a master’s degree from Villanova University in Experimental Psychology. Her research interests include community mental health and implementation of culturally competent mental health services. 

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Ranya Al-Khayyat

Jennifer M. Canovas BA

  • Research Associate II, ACCESS for Mental Health Lab

Jennifer Canovas is a Research Associate in the ACCESS for Mental Health Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Tara Mehta and a graduate of Williams College, where she earned her B.A. in Psychology and Art History. Her research interests focus on reducing mental health disparities among historically marginalized communities, with a particular emphasis on immigrant and LGBTQ+ populations.

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Jennifer M. Canovas

Melanie Tran MA

  • Clinical Psychology PhD Candidate, UIC
  • Graduate Student Affiliate, ACCESS for Mental Health Lab
  • Clinical Extern, Comprehensive ADHD Clinic
Melanie Tran is a PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). She received her BA in Psychology at UCLA and her MA in Clinical Psychology at UIC. Her research aims to reduce disparities in access to mental health for marginalized communities. Broadly, she utilizes a community-engaged, public health approach to promote youth mental health. Her specific research interests include enhancing positive youth development and youth mental health in settings natural and accessible to children and families, such as afterschool, parks/recreational programs, and community organizations.

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Melanie Tran

Vanessa Diaz BS, BA

  • PhD Student, Clinical Psychology Program
  • Graduate Student Affiliate, ACCESS to Mental Health Lab
  • UIC Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
Vanessa Diaz is a doctoral student in the clinical psychology program at University of Illinois Chicago. She moved to Chicago, IL from San Diego, CA, where she received her B.S. and B.A. degree from UC San Diego. She looks forward to further developing her research interest in mental health disparities among underrepresented populations, barriers to mental health access, perception of mental health. Vanessa looks forward to working and building relationships with the community through her work.

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Vanessa Diaz

Avril De la Cruz

  • Volunteer Research Assistant, ACCESS to Mental Health Lab
Avril De la Cruz is a student at the University of Illinois Chicago in the Guaranteed Pre-Professional Admissions (GPPA) Medical Scholars Program. She has joined the ACCESS for Mental Health Lab as a research assistant. Her interests in the field include advocacy for social determinants impacting underserved communities, and equitable access to healthcare. Avril plans to pursue an MD degree, becoming a pediatrician in the future.

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Avril De La Cruz

Sofia Lostaunau

  • Volunteer Research Assistant, ACCESS for Mental Health

Sofia Lostaunau is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Illinois Chicago pursuing BS in Psychology and Gender & Women’s Studies, with a minor in Sociology.

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Sofia Lostaunau

Carina Mauricio

  • Volunteer Research Assistant, ACCESS for Mental Health
Carina Mauricio is a Psychology student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a Research Assistant at the ACCESS for Mental Health Lab at UIC Department of Psychiatry. Carina plans to pursue Clinical Psychology in Grad School in the future. Her interests in the field include improving the access to mental health resources for underrepresented populations/communities and working to decrease the stigmas and barriers regarding mental health and its services.

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Carina Mauricio

Nancy Alexandra Rodriguez

  • Volunteer Research Assistant, ACCESS Lab for Mental Health
Nancy is an undergraduate double-majoring in Applied Psychology & Criminology, Law, and Justice in the Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She is a research assistant in the ACCESS lab. Her interests are supporting minority communities in having equitable opportunities for mental health and education (e.g., tutoring, school, etc.) and helping support youth in reaching their academic and social goals. Nancy plans to pursue a master's in School Psychology or Social Work, to serve youth in the academic or legal setting.

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Nancy Alexandra Rodriguez.

Mary Woloszyn BS

  • Volunteer Research Assistant, ACCESS for Mental Health

Mary completed her undergraduate studies at Loyola University Chicago in 2021 and is currently a medical student at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

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Mary Woloszyn

Alexandra (Ali) Zax PhD

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, ACCESS for Mental Health Lab

Alexandra Zax is a postdoctoral fellow in the Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence and ACCESS for Mental Health Lab at UIC.  To date, her primary research interests aim to shed light on complex associations between individual, cultural, and community factors on mental health and behavioral outcomes in youth and caregivers.

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Alexandra (Ali) Zax

Marc S. Atkins PhD

  • Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology
  • University of Illinois Chicago
Dr. Atkins is a licensed clinical psychologist and Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology and past Director of the Institute for Juvenile Research at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). He developed and led the internship in clinical psychology for the Department of Psychiatry for two decades and has mentored numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows on career development awards and postdoctoral fellowships. He currently directs the Community Engagement and Collaboration core for UIC’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science. He is the recipient of numerous grants from the NIMH and private foundations examining new models for mental health practice in urban communities to address long-standing disparities in mental health care for children and families living in high poverty urban communities. He currently is Co-PI with Dr. Tara Mehta on a grant from the NIMH studying community health worker navigation into mental health services for urban children and families. He is active in public policy, including as a consultant to the Chicago Public Schools, the Illinois Division of Mental Health, and the Illinois State Board of Education on guidelines for school and community based mental health programs and practices, and to Chief Judge Timothy Evans of the Cook County Circuit Court on behavioral health programming for Restorative Justice Courts.

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Marc S. Atkins

Dana Rusch PhD

  • Associate Professor in Clinical Psychiatry
  • University of Illinois Chicago
  • Institute for Juvenile Research, Department of Psychiatry
  • Director, Immigrant Family Mental Health Advocacy Program
Dr. Rusch is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Director of the Immigrant Family Mental Health Advocacy Program at the Institute for Juvenile Research. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois Chicago and completed her pre-doctoral clinical training at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago and post-doctoral training at the Institute for Juvenile Research at UIC. She founded the Immigrant Family Mental Health Advocacy Program to focus on research-practice-policy partnerships that address the mental health needs of immigrant and refugee children and families through: (a) direct clinical services for immigrant children and families, UIC students coping with immigration-related stressors, and unaccompanied youth and asylum seekers; (b) undergraduate teaching and clinical education for trainees in child psychology, psychiatry, and social work; (c) community-engaged research that supports the work and mission of community-based organizations, and (d) active involvement in local and national advocacy and policy work. Her work is guided by an ecological public health framework to develop models of mental health promotion that elevate the unique contributions of non-specialty service settings and the critical role of non-traditional providers. Dr. Rusch actively participates in local advocacy efforts via several committee appointments and collaborative coalition work in support of immigrant communities. She is also a member of the Community Engagement and Collaboration Core for UIC’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

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Rusch Dana

Eduardo Esteban Bustamante PhD

  • Assistant Professor, Kinesiology and Nutrition
  • University of Illinois Chicago
Eduardo Esteban Bustamante, PhD, FACSM, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2006) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Rehabilitation from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) (2013). Dr. Bustamante completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Prevention Institute (2015). Dr. Bustamante’s expertise lies in Exercise Psychology with an emphasis on ADHD and community-engaged intervention research. His research focuses on generating evidence-based lifestyle interventions that promote physical and mental health among children and families in underserved communities. 

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Anne Elizabeth Glassgow PhD

  • Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
  • Department of Pediatrics
  • University of Illinois College of Medicine
Dr. Anne Elizabeth Glassgow is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Executive Director of CHECK. CHECK was the largest national pediatric payment and comprehensive delivery system model funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center, and now also operates as an Illinois Integrated Health Home. In her role as Executive Director, Dr. Glassgow is responsible for the operational leadership and oversight, research, compliance, and financial management of CHECK. Dr. Glassgow has more than 20 years of clinical experience, is a Principal- and Co-Investigator on several research projects, and has served in a variety of health care administration and high-level management positions.

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Colleen Stiles-Shields PhD

  • Assistant Professor
  • University of Illinois Chicago
Dr. Colleen Stiles-Shields is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor at the Institute for Juvenile Research (IJR) in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Her research is centered around harnessing digital mental health and telehealth as delivery mechanisms to reach and improve behavioral health targets for pediatric populations. Within this work, she specifically aims to design/adapt, evaluate, and disseminate technologies to better meet the needs of pediatric populations and their families, particularly those with socially complex needs (i.e., potentially overlapping experiences of adversities and minoritized identities).

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Colleen Stiles-Shields

Tina Grieco-Calub PhD, CCC-A

  • Visiting Associate Professor, Visiting Research Scientist
  • Director for Childhood Hearing Research
Tina Grieco-Calub, PhD, CCC-A is a visiting associate professor and the Director of Childhood Hearing Research in the Institute for Juvenile Research (IJR) in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois Chicago. She is an ASHA-certified audiologist who spent her early career providing clinical services to patients across the lifespan who are deaf or hard of hearing. She has integrated her clinical experience with her diverse research training in neuroscience, auditory development, and language acquisition to develop her current research program.

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Tina Grieco-Calub

Stacy Frazier PhD

  • Associate Professor, Florida International University
Stacy Frazier, PhD, (she/her/hers) is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Florida International University. She directs a program of community-partnered and inter-agency children's mental health services research focused on strengthening supports to schools and after-school programs serving youth in neighborhoods characterized by resource poverty, gun violence, and food and housing insecurity. Extending the task-shifting literature to after-school time, Dr. Frazier's current studies are designed to support after-school recreation staff to leverage teachable moments for youth to practice life and leadership skills related to communication, emotion regulation, and problem-solving.

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Shawn Nelson Cole MSW, MBA

  • Director, Office of Medicaid Innovation
  • University of Illinois Health

Shawn Nelson Cole is the Director of the Office of Medicaid Innovation at University of Illinois Health.

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Kimberly E. Hoagwood PhD

  • Cathy and Stephen Graham Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Dr. Kimberly Hoagwood is a Cathy and Stephen Graham Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

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Colleen Lammel-Harmon MPH, RD

  • Health & Wellness Officer, Chicago Park District

Colleen Lammel-Harmon is the Health & Wellness Officer for the Chicago Park District.

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Alexandra Hernandez-Vallant PhD

  • Research Collaborator, ACCESS for Mental Health
Dr. Alexandra Hernandez-Vallant is an incoming post-doctoral fellow at Brown University’s Health Neuropsychology Program (Fall 2025). She completed her predoctoral internship at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology at the University of New Mexico. 

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Alexandra Hernandez-Vallant