Principal Investigator
Adrian Aguilera, Ph.D. | aguila@berkeley.edu
Associate Professor
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, San Francisco, Psychiatry
Director, Latino Mental Health Research Program
Adrian Aguilera, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley and the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Francisco. He received his B.A, from Stanford University and his master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from UCLA. Dr. Aguilera’s research has focused on studying the influence of culture, community and socioeconomic status on mental health along with developing interventions to address health disparities in low-income and minority populations. Dr. Aguilera’s current work has focused on utilizing mobile phone technology to improve mental health interventions in primary care settings with vulnerable populations. He has conducted research using text messaging as a companion to cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for depression to increase engagement and improve outcomes. He is currently developing a personalized, machine learning based texting intervention to improve physical activity among people with comorbid diabetes and depression. He is committed to utilizing innovative technologies to reduce health disparities.
Publications on Google Scholar
Research Staff
Cassandra Gastelum Lugo, M.S. | cassandra.gastelumlugo@ucsf.edu
Cassandra Gastelum Lugo, M.S., is the Clinical Research Coordinator for the SUPERA Project at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital for the University of California, San Francisco. Cassandra received her B.A. in Psychology and her B.S. in Human Biology from UC Merced in Winter 2018 and her M.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Western University of Health Sciences in 2021. Within the SUPERA project she helps manage, organize and implement digital cognitive behavior therapy for patients from underserved backgrounds with a diagnosis of depression and anxiety. Cassandra hopes to pursue her PhD and continue to research different methods of intervention for depression and anxiety for underserved communities.
Leonel Ochoa, B.A. | ochoaleo@berkeley.edu
Leonel Ochoa, B.A., is a Research Coordinator with the Digital Health Equity & Access Lab (dHEAL). Leonel earned his B.A. in Psychology from UC Berkeley in Summer 2021, and as an undergrad, was a Research Assistant with the Family & Culture Lab at UC Berkeley and the Addiction Research Program at UCSF & SF VA Medical Center. Prior to joining dHEAL, Leonel helped establish an intensive bilingual case management program in SF's Mission District, and he is passionate about using digital mental health interventions as a bridge to create wider public access to evidence-based behavioral health treatments. Currently, Leonel jointly coordinates the SUPERA project, and in the future hopes to pursue medical training with a focus on community health.
Karina Rosales, B.A. | k.rosales@berkeley.edu
Karina Rosales, B.A., is a Research Coordinator with the Digital Health Equity & Access Lab (dHEAL). Karina received her B.A. in Psychology and Social Welfare from UC Berkeley in Summer 2020. During her time as an undergrad, Karina volunteered as a Health Advocate for Alameda Health System at Highland Hospital where she supported patients by connecting them to community resources with the goal of minimizing health disparities. Within the Digital Health and Equity Lab she organizes, manages, and implements a variety of different digital health interventions. Karina is passionate about reducing mental health disparities in underserved communities of color by bridging behavioral health care and primary care.
Post-Doctoral Scholars
Marvyn Arévalo Avalos, Ph.D. | marevalo@berkeley.edu
Marvyn Arévalo Avalos, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Latinx Center of Excellence in Behavioral Health (LCOEBH) and the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare. Dr. Arévalo Avalos earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at Arizona State University where his research focused on prevention of mental and behavioral health concerns among Latinx adolescents. Dr. Arévalo Avalos’ current research interest focuses on developing and testing culturally grounded digital health interventions with underserved populations, particularly Latinx. Prior to joining UC Berkeley, Dr. Arévalo Avalos completed his predoctoral internship in psychology at the University of Maryland Counseling Center, his Bachelor of Science in Human Development at UC Davis, and has experience working in a behavioral health nonprofit organization. On a personal note, Marvyn enjoys spending time outdoors, playing board games, cooking, and spending time with his partner, family, and friends.
Stephanie H. Yu, Ph.D. | stephanie.yu2@ucsf.edu
Stephanie H. Yu, PhD (she/her) is a NIMH T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She received her BA in Psychology and Social Welfare from UC Berkeley and her PhD in Clinical Psychology from UCLA. As a Chinese-Taiwanese American daughter of immigrants, she is passionate about advancing social justice and equity for structurally minoritized communities across her research, clinical, and advocacy work with interethnic and intersectional solidarity. Her research integrates implementation science, community-based participatory approaches, and mixed quantitative and qualitative methods to advance the culturally-responsive development, adaptation, and implementation of trauma-informed interventions for racial/ethnic minoritized and immigrant communities. Central to this goal, her work has spanned understanding: (1) the impact of individual and structural racism on racial/ethnic minoritized communities and how they heal from racial stress and trauma, as well as (2) racial/ethnic identity development and socialization as cultural capital in the face of oppressive forces, ultimately to inform (3) community-driven interventions and policies to address racial, historical, and intergenerational trauma. At the dHEAL Lab, she is learning to integrate innovative digital interventions within her work to advance health equity and access, building on her experience as a Co-Founder of a CBT-based, self-guided mental health app (Unstuck: CBT Journal). Ultimately, her work aims to translate community-driven knowledge into accessible programs and interventions across systems to support minoritized communities in healing from various forms of trauma. Finally, through her commitments to advocacy and mentorship, she promotes greater equity, access, and anti-racism in higher education overall.
Graduate Students
Tiffany Luo, MSW | tiffany.luo@berkeley.edu
Tiffany Luo, MSW, is a Ph.D. Student in the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley. She earned her B.A. in Psychology and her MSW from UC Berkeley. Tiffany has experience working in healthcare settings, community-based mental health organizations, school settings, and digital health startups. Broadly, her research. focuses on digital health interventions, health equity and access, implementation science, and integrated behavioral health care. She has designed mobile apps, conversational agents, and text message-based interventions for physical and mental health promotion. Through her work and research, Tiffany seeks to develop and expand access to digital health solutions for medically underserved populations.
Malaika Gaillard, MSW, LLMSW | malaika_gaillard@berkeley.edu
Malaika Gaillard, MSW, is a Ph.D. Student in the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley. She earned her B.S. in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience and MSW from the University of Michigan. Her professional journey includes clinical roles, such as her work as a Clinical Social Work Intern at Acacia: A Place for Personal & Family Development, where she provided individual therapy to clients of all ages using evidence-based practices like Circle of Security Parenting and play therapy. In her role as a Survey Specialist Associate at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, she managed longitudinal data collection for nationally recognized studies, programming surveys, and ensuring data quality. Malaika’s earlier roles, including as a Research Technician at Michigan Medicine and a Lab Assistant at the Naval Postgraduate School, display her experience in participant recruitment, data analysis, and behavioral study implementation. Her career thus far has reflected a strong commitment to advancing mental health and developmental research through both clinical application and rigorous inquiry. Through her work and research, Malaika seeks to further enhance her dedication to these efforts.
Research Assistants
Jiayin Lin | sktt1cutie@berkeley.edu
Jiayin Lin, is an junior undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Research Assistant with the Digital Health Equity & Access Lab (dHEAL). His major is Mathematics & Computer Science, but he is really interested in using his technical skills to help out people in need. He is currently working on building an AI model to monitor and respond to mental health patients at dHEAL.