Congratulations to HELI 2012 Alum Carmen Valdez, PhD, who was recently awarded a mini-grant through the UW-Madison Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment!
Dr. Valdez is the faculty director of CCHE’s Advancing Health Equity and Diversity (AHEAD) program, a licensed professional psychologist and an associate professor with a primary affiliation to the Department of Counseling Psychology. The Baldwin funding will be used by Valdez’s research team to partner with Glacier Edge Elementary School in Verona, WI with the goal of implementing Fortalezas Familiares (Family Strengths) beginning in the fall of 2016. Fortalezas Familiares is an intervention culturally adapted by Dr. Valdez for Latina women with depression and their families.
Until now, the program has been a Madison-based intervention, but with this opportunity Valdez will be building on the knowledge and expertise of the Fortalezas Familiares intervention by transferring this program from a community to a school setting for the first time. By doing so, Valdez says the intervention is expected to reach more families and those who do not typically utilize outpatient mental health services.
Congratulations, Dr. Valdez!
Health Equity Leadership Institute 