Mental Health and Trauma Exposure Among Newly Arrived Latinx Immigrants

Dr. Vargas will describe trauma experiences among newly arrived immigrants in the US

Objective

Learn the trauma experiences among newly arrived immigrants
Understand how trauma experiences may relate to mental health in this population
Reflect on mental health needs and barriers to care for newly arrived Latinx immigrants

Laura Vargas, PhD, LMSW, MPA

Laura Vargas, PhD, LMSW, MPA, is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Department of Psychiatry. Previously, she was a T32 Postdoctoral Fellow with the Developmental Psychobiology Research Group at the University of Colorado School of Medicine (NIMH, T32MH015442) and a Vice-Provost Postdoctoral Fellow at the Penn Injury Science Center and School of Nursing in the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Ph.D. in Social Policy and Policy Analysis from Columbia University School of Social Work in 2018, and her MSW from the same institution in 2017.

Dr. Vargas is funded by the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD, K01MD015768) and is researching exposure to trauma and mental health of recent Latinx immigrants in the United States. Specifically, her research focuses on understanding how phenotypes of depression, anxiety and PTSD are shaped by traumatic experiences, individual characteristics, and symptom severity among Latinx adult immigrants. Her past research focused on qualitative and quantitative methods to study relationship between widespread community violence and health care service access and utilization in Mexico.

Dr. Vargas is a bi-cultural Mexican/American, multi-lingual researcher and clinician focused broadly on the impacts of firearm related violence, trauma exposure, and migration on mental health and health service utilization among Latinx populations. Dr. Vargas has regional expertise on violence, health and social policy issues in Latin America through past professional experience in Mexico’s Ministry of Social Policy, as well as through her prior research in Mexico and Brazil. She is a former Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She serves in the advisory committee of the University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center and the Issue Advisory Committee for the Nationwide Public Awareness and Education Campaign Aimed at Reducing Firearm Deaths, Injuries and Impact of Gun Violence on Youth in America launched by the Ad Council and funded by members of the National Health Care CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention.

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GENERAL SESSION - KEYNOTE

9:20 AM - 10:20 AM. Friday, Oct. 25, 2024

Ballroom

Gun Violence in our Communities and Beyond - Why it Matters

Participants will be exposed to realities of gun violence in our communities, the origins of our collective experience with gun violence, contributing factors, and the history of gun violence in America. We will also explore what solutions can be applied to solve this issue in our communities.

Objective.

History of gun violence
Data on impact of gun violence
Contributing factors to gun violence
Solutions to addressing gun violence locally

Refujio “Cuco” Rodriguez, MSW

Refujio “Cuco” Rodriguez, MSW is the Chief Equity & Program Officer at Hope and Heal Fund. Before joining the fund, Cuco served as a Program Officer for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and was a member of the foundation’s Racial Equity and Community Engagement team. He was responsible for developing and coordinating strategic grantmaking activities to address racial equity, community engagement, and nurturing opportunities for positive systemic change for historically marginalized communities and vulnerable children. Cuco also supported developing a Racial Equity Leadership Curriculum for the W.K. Kellogg Fellowship Program; leading research and developing curriculum models; and developing strategic external partnerships with other foundations, businesses, governmental agencies, and other key partners. He recently led efforts to integrate racial equity principles into technology initiatives, which included working on new collaborative platforms and developing a racial equity-focused grantee application.

Cuco obtained a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering technology and a master’s degree in education with concentrations in counseling and guidance, both from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

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