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Carmen Valdez

Contact

valdezcr@uthscsa.edu

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Departments & Divisions

Carmen R. Valdez, PhD

Associate Dean of Research and Partnerships

Professor

Carmen R. Valdez, Ph.D., is a professor and Inaugural Associate Dean of Research and Partnerships at the University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio. In that role, she oversees research operations for the school, supports the school’s research capacity and footprint, and leverages institutional and community partnerships so research can be impactful to San Antonio residents.  She has co-led community and academic partnerships that leverage social capital, community experience, and university research and resources to improve community health and foster community self-determination. Valdez is interested in mentoring students, trainees, and junior faculty in their research trajectories, authentic leadership, and community-based participatory research. She develops community engagement tools to support community-academic partnerships and resident-led programs.

Valdez has a special research interest in understanding family stability and stress in the context of social policy. In her family research, she examines the role of immigration and health policy, neighborhood, and family factors on Hispanic personal and family health, as well as developing community-based, family-focused interventions for Hispanic families. She has an additional interest in coalition-building and community engagement for environmental justice in south Texas. For this collective work, she was elected as a member of the American Psychological Association’s Committee on Socioeconomic Status and was granted in 2023 a Mid-Career Award by the Latinx Caucus of the Society for Research in Child Development.

Prior to joining UTSPHSA, Valdez was Chief of the Division of Community Engagement and Health Equity, and Faculty Director of Community-Driven Initiatives, both at Dell Medical School in Austin, TX. She also had a faculty appointment at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin, where she taught undergraduate and graduate social work students and led research programs.

  • Professional Background

    Education

    • 2006 - Postdoctoral Fellowship - Prevention and Intervention Research - Johns Hopkins University
    • 2004 - PhD - Educational Psychology - The University of Texas at Austin
    • 1998 - MS - Clinical Psychology - Loyola College in Maryland
    • 1995 - BA - Psychology - Universidad Centroamericana, El Salvador

    Appointments

    • 2024 - Associate Dean of Research and Partnerships - UT School of Public Health San Antonio
    • 2024 - Professor - Department of Health Behavior and Society - UT School of Public Health San Antonio
    • 2024 - Full Professor - Department of Population Health, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin
    • 2024 - full Professor - Mexican American and Latino Studies, The University of Texas at Austin
    • 2024 - Full Professor - Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
    • 2020 - 2024 - Chief - Division of Community Engagement and Health Equity, Department of Population Health, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin
    • 2020 - 2024 - Faculty Director - Community-Driven Initiatives Program, Department of Population Health, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin
    • 2019 -2024 - Associate Professor - Mexican American and Latino Studies, The University of Texas at Austin
    • 2018- 2024 - Associate Professor - Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
    • 2018 - 2024 - Associate Professor - Department of Population Health, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin

  • Research & Grants

    Grants

    Sponsored Research Funding, Candidate PI, co-PI, or co-I

    • 2023 - 2025: Michael and Susan Dell Foundation; UT Austin Account Number: 26-7537-9712; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Accountable Health Communities; Funding Amounts: $658,000 (100% under PI’s supervision); Role: 2.5% effort
    • 2021 - 2023: Michael and Susan Dell Foundation; UT Austin Account Number: 26-7534-9712; Principal Investigator: Tim Mercer and Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Piloting a Mobile Healthcare Model to Address COVID-19 and Broader Health Inequities in Central Texas; Co-PIs: Tim Mercer 10%, Carmen Valdez 10%; Funding Amounts: $600,000 (100% under Co-PIs’ supervision); Role: 15% effort
    • 2020 - 2023: Michael and Susan Dell Foundation; UT Austin Account Number: 30-5701-58; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Removing Health Inequities in Austin Communities. Transitional funding for Division of Community Engagement and Health Equity and Community-Driven
    • Initiatives; Effort: 10%; Funding Amounts: $600,000 (100% under PI’s supervision)
    • 2021 - 2022: Sponsor: Texas Department of Health and Human Services; UT Austin Account Number: 26-3220-4812; Principal Investigator: Michael Mackert; Role: Investigator; Project Title: Development of Interactive Resources to Promote Coping and Reduce; Substance Use Disorders among Texas Families; I: Carmen Valdez 21% effort; Funding Amount: $6,000,000 (0% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2019 - 2021: Sponsor: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Inform. Technology; UT Austin Account Number: 26-2202-7112; Principal Investigator: Anjum Khurshid; Role: Co-Investigator; Project Title: FHIRedApp: An API-based patient engagement platform for the 21st Century. Developing and testing a patient-engagement platform to support an ecosystem of mobile applications (apps) intended to enhance opportunities for underrepresented populations to better participate in health research and care that addresses patient security and privacy needs, utilizing community engagement and user-centered design approaches; Co-Is: Carmen Valdez 10% effort; Funding Amount: $999,287 (20% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2017 - 2019: Sponsor: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R21); Principal Investigator: Ana Martinez-Donate, Drexel University; Role: Co-Investigator; Project Title: Health and Wellbeing of U.S. Citizen Children of Deported Migrants; Co-Is: Valdez 10% effort; Funding amount: $420,106 (0% under Valdez supervision)

    Sponsored Research Funding, Candidate in Key Personnel Role

    • 2023 - 2028: Sponsor: National Science Foundation; Principal Investigator: Jay Banner, Jackson School of Geosciences; Role: Consultant CBPR Advisory Panel; Project Title: Community Resilience integrated into an Earth System Science Learning Ecosystem (CRESSLE); Effort: Valdez 6%; Funding Amount: $7,057,285.00 (0% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2020 - 2024: Sponsor: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; UT Austin Account Number: 26-3986-82; Principal Investigator: Miriam Solis, School of Architecture; Role: Evaluation Team Investigator; Project Title: Environmental Literacy Grants: Supporting the education of K-12 students and the public for community resilience.Is: Miriam Solis 15%; Valdez 2%; Funding Amount: $215,000 subaward (0% under Valdez supervision). 

     

    Gifts, Other External Research Awards, and Contracts

    • 2023 - 2024: Sponsor: UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute; Principal Investigator: Miriam Solis and Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Leveraging Community-Engaged Research to Address Extreme Heat Events; PI Valdez 0% effort; Funding Amount: $25,000 (100% under co-PIs’ supervision)
    • 2024 - 2025: Sponsor: City of Austin; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Quality of Life of Girls and Women in Travis County; PI: Valdez 10% effort; Funding Amount: $250,000 (100% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2020 - 2023: Sponsor: Michael and Susan Dell Foundation; UT Austin Account Number: 26-7534-74; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Community-Driven Initiatives; PI: Valdez 0% effort; Funding Amount: $2,500,000 (100% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2022 - 2023: Sponsor: City of Austin; UT Austin Account Number: 26-8278-82; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Backdoor Digital Inclusion Strategic Update; PI: Valdez 0% effort; Funding Amount: $60,000 (100% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2022 - 2024: Sponsor: City of Austin; UT Austin Account Number: 19-5603-27; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Five-year Food System Planning; PI: Valdez .20% effort; Funding Amount: $34,000 (100% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2022 - 2023: Sponsor: Family Process Institute; UT Austin Account Number: 26-6824-12; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: What do White Parents Teach their Children about Race?: An Observational Study; PI: Valdez 0% effort; Funding Amount: $5,000
    • 2021 - 2022: Sponsor: USDA and Travis County; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Nutrition Incentive/Veggie RX Program; PI: Valdez 0% effort; Funding Amount: $35,000 (100% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2021 - 2022: Sponsor: Equidad ATX; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Community Needs Assessment to Inform Live Well/Vive Bien; PI: Valdez 8% effort; Funding Amount: $150,000 (100% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2021 - 2022: Sponsor: USDA; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development; PI: Valdez 0% effort; Funding Amount: $18,000
    • 2021 - 2022: Sponsor: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston; UT Austin Account Number: 26-3220-75; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Texas Agricultural Workers Cardiovascular Disease Perception, Risk, and Health Seeking Behavior; PI: Valdez 0% effort; Funding Amount: $10,000 (100% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2020 - 2021: Sponsor: St. David’s Foundation; UT Austin Account Number: 26-6822-89; Principal Investigator: Deliana Garcia, Migrant Clinicians Network; Role: Carmen Valdez was PI of subaward; Project Title: Fast-Tracking a Mental Health Promotion Model for Latinx Community in Central Texas During the COVID-19 Pandemic.; Co-PIs: 0% for Garcia and Valdez; Funding Amounts: $75,000 ($20,347 in subaward, of which 100% under Valdez’s supervision); Role: 6% effort

    Internal Research Funding, Candidate PI, co-PI, or co-I

    • 2023 - 2024: Sponsor: Whole Communities Whole Health, The University of Texas at Austin; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Community-Academic Partnerships for Health Equity Program; Co-PI: Valdez at 5% effort; Funding Amount: $25,000 (100% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2023 - 2024: Sponsor: AMPATH Mexico, The University of Texas at Austin; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: MAPAS de Bienestar y Salud Mental (MAPS of Wellbeing and Mental Health); Co-PI: Valdez at 0% effort; Funding Amount: $10,000 (100% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2020 - 2024: Sponsor: Planet Texas 2050, University of Texas at Austin, Valdez; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez and Miriam Solis; Project Title: Frontline Community Partnerships for Climate Justice; Co-PIs: Valdez and Solis at 15% effort; Funding Amount: $600,000
    • 2020 - 2021: Sponsor: The University of Texas President’s Award for Global Learning; UT Austin Account Number: 30-0015-4750; Principal Investigator: Deborah Parra-Medina, Latino Research Institute; Role: Co-PI; Project Title: A Case for Connections: A binational study of Stress in College Students; Co-PIs: Summer stipend and travel funds to Mexico; Funding Amount: $20,000 (0% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2019 -2020: Sponsor: Provost Award for Archival Research – Scholars Fellowship; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Lives of Immigrant Families Study; PI: Valdez at 0% effort; Funding Amount: $3,500 (100% under Valdez supervision).
    • 2019 - 2020: Sponsor: Center for Youth Mental Health, Dell Medical School; UT Austin Account Number: 20-5701-53; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: Mental Health Access to Immigrant Latinx Emerging Adults. PI: Valdez at 0% effort; Funding Amount: $25,000 (100% under Valdez supervision)
    • 2019 - 2020: Sponsor: Center for Health Communication; Principal Investigator: Carmen Valdez; Project Title: The Role of Communication in the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Families Separated by Deportation. PI: Valdez at 0% effort; Funding Amount: $6,140 (100% under Valdez supervision)

  • Service

    Service to the Profession

    Professional License: 

    • Psychologist, State of Wisconsin (#2843-57)

    Professional Affiliations

    2020, Community Campus Partnerships for Health 
    2018 - present, Interdisciplinary Association of Population Health Science
    2012 - present, National Public Health Association
    2004 - present, Society for Research in Child Development 
    2016 - present, SRCD Latinx Caucus
    1999 - present, American Psychological Association

    Editorial Boards

    • 2017 – 2022, Associate Editor, Family Process Journal 
    • 2015 – 2016, Editorial Board Member, Family Process Journal

    Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer

    • 2014 - present; Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
    • 2013 - present, Family Process Journal
    • 2011 - present, Child Psychiatry and Human Development
    • 2007 - present, Journal of Counseling Psychology
    • 2007 - present, Child Development

    Professional Committees and Groups

    • 2022 - 2024, Member, Committee on Socioeconomic Status, American Psychological Association, Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI)

    Community

    Community Organizations

    • 2023 – present, Coalition on Youth Environment and Health Co-lead. Coalition in the Rio Grande Valley to promote environmental justice for Latinx communities
    • 2020 - present, Steering Committee. Community Health Assessment/Community Health Improvement. Support Austin Public Health in its implementation of CHA/CHIP

  • Publications