This postdoctoral fellowship will support a collaborative NIH-funded research program between the Department of Emergency Medicine, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and community partners in East San José, California. The postdoctoral fellow will work with Dr. Jennifer Newberry (EM) and Dr. Debra Kaysen (Psych) as well as a range of collaborators, RAs, students, and community partners.
We are conducting a multi-stage study that will assess and address mental health needs and barriers to mental health services among the Latinx community in East San José using a community-based participatory research approach with a specific focus on the integration of promotoras (community health workers). The initial phase of the grant is oriented toward mapping the landscape of and pathways to mental health services within the community through an annual community-wide survey and a mixed-methods social network analyis. During this phase we are working with community partners and promotoras to create (1) a community asset map of culturally specific mental health services, layered with findings from a community-wide assessment of mental health services use, using geographic information system mapping (GIS), and (2) map social networks utilized to seek services. Promotoras will then be trained to facilitate Mental Health Education, (self-)Efficacy, and (outcomes) Expectancy (MHE3) gatherings – a to be co-created culturally-specific, trauma-informed intervention to improve mental health services use. We are wanting someone ideally with strong qualitative and quantitative skills, who is interested in CBPR to engage in research and to help the team with building and maintaining our community relationships.
The postdoctoral fellow will be expected to publish.