Assistant Professor Phone: 575-646-4160 Office: CHSS 337 Email: [email protected] Biography: I completed my PhD degree at the University of Colorado Denver in 2015 and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from NMSU in 2009 My doctoral research focused on looking at the impact of chronic illness on depression treatment in primary care among low-income patient populations. I teach undergraduate and graduate courses in public health here at NMSU, and have also taught courses in personal health and wellness, health coaching, complementary and alternative medicine, and health psychology at four other institutions. Before joining the faculty here at NMSU, I worked on research and evaluation projects in areas such as smoking cessation programs, motivational interviewing in primary care settings, depression recognition and treatment, and the use of promotoras and community health workers in community settings. My current research interests include identifying potential moderators and mediators that predict mental health and cancer screening behaviors as well as the impact of illness complexity on decision-making practices.

chronic illness on depression treatment, Public Health