Friday, May 9, 2025
5/9/2025
Critical Research Issues in Latinx Mental Health/American Society of Hispanic Psychiatry - Project Summary The Hispanic population in the US is about 60.5 million and comprise 18% of the total US population. Unfortunately, there number of Hispanic/Latinx Psychiatrists, Psychologists and Social Workers is significantly less in proportion to non-Hispanic practitioners, with Hispanic physicians representing only 7% of the total physician workforce. In the mental health field, Hispanic psychiatrists represent 5.8% of the psychiatrist workforce, whereas Hispanic psychologist represent 5% and Hispanic social workers 14% of their corresponding workforce. Numbers are similar in the research workforce with only 6% of all NIH funds being awarded to Hispanic investigators. To mitigate this underrepresentation of Hispanic/Latinx investigators interested in mental health, we propose to partner with the American Society of Hispanic Psychiatry (ASHP) to enhance their annual meeting with a personalized and highly focused mentoring program. This mentoring program will take place annually over one and a half days, in which 12 junior Hispanic/Latinx investigators will be competitively selected out of a larger pool of applicants and invited to present their work. Mentor-mentee pairs will be formed based on the area of interest, the type of research being done, and the expertise of the mentor. In addition, several other didactic activities will take place during the program, including a keynote lecture, a grant writing workshop, a poster session, and a series of lunch tables for networking as well as to discuss topics relevant to junior investigators. At the end of the meeting, mentor-mentee pairs will determine career goals for the mentee and will meet virtually every 6 months to discuss the progress of agreed goals and to discuss any changes in career trajectory. The specific aims of the program are: 1): To identify 12 junior Hispanic/Latinx investigators interested in mental health research every year and provide them financial support to attend and present at the ASHP annual meeting; 2) To engage 12 Hispanic/Latinx investigators every year in mentorship activities during the ASHP conference; 3) To follow up on the outcome of the junior Hispanic/Latinx investigators in metrics such as peer-reviewed publications, NIH and other agencies grant support, scientific presentations, and academic advancement; 4) To develop a network of Hispanic/Latinx mentors and mentees to support the academic advancement of the mentees. We believe that a highly focused and personalized mentoring program in the context of the ASHP annual meeting will be a great strategy to train and mentor rising Hispanic/Latinx investigators. We have assembled a group of prominent Hispanic/Latinx investigators and mentors in the fields of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Social Work, who will not only provide the best mentorship experience but also serve as role models for junior Hispanic/Latinx investigators. Therefore, we are confident that this mentoring program will help increase the representation of Hispanic/Latinx investigators in the workforce.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).