Our Philosophy
Our work is grounded in a commitment to equity, community partnership, and scientific excellence. We believe that health is a fundamental human right, and that achieving equity requires addressing the social drivers of health that disproportionately affect minoritized communities. These social drivers, such as cultural adaptation stress, limited access to nutritious food, unsafe housing, and discrimination, have a profound impact on mental and physical health. The clustering of these factors exacerbates health inequities, which are systematic and avoidable differences experienced by socially disadvantaged groups.
At the heart of our work is the recognition that true and lasting change comes from collaboration, cultural humility, and respect. We are dedicated to listening to and learning from the communities we serve, valuing their wisdom and lived experiences as integral to our research and interventions. By co-designing solutions with community members, we ensure our efforts are not only relevant but also empowering and sustainable.
We are also driven by the belief that interventions must be both evidence-based, as well as culturally-, linguisitically-, and contextually-grounded. Our approach lies at the intersection of science and culture, where innovative, contextually informed practices are essential for creating impactful solutions. By bridging the gap between research and practice, we aim to ensure that our work is both theoretically sound and practically applicable.
In all our endeavors, we are guided by a commitment to excellence, integrity, and social justice. Our mission is to dismantle the systemic barriers that perpetuate mental health inequities, and we are unwavering in our pursuit of a more just and equitable mental healthcare system for all. We envision a future where our research leads to the development, testing, and dissemination of interventions that promote mental health equity and provide inclusive, high-quality care for underinvested communities.
Core Values
- Commitment to equity and inclusive mental healthcare
- Dismantling systemic barriers
- Moving upstream to address social drivers of health
- Cultural humility and respect
- Community-centered co-design
- Integrating evidence-based and culturally-grounded interventions
- Bridging research and practice
Our Research Approach
At the EQUITY Research Group, we are dedicated to understanding and addressing the root causes (mechanisms) of mental health and healthcare inequities, commonly referred to as social drivers of health.
Our research employs quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods to provide a comprehensive understanding of these complex issues. We rely on human-centered design principles and community-engaged approaches to ensure that our work is relevant, impactful, and sustainable. Our research has focused on healthcare settings, with an emphasis on enhancing the effectiveness of providers and implementing evidence-based interventions. This has led to the creation of innovative curricula for mental healthcare providers, the development of a multicultural peer-consultation model, and the generation of best practice recommendations—all aimed at improving mental healthcare for communities that have been systematically minoritized and underserved.
Recognizing the need for multi-level interventions that address inequities at their source, our work has expanded into the realm of mental health prevention and promotion. A key initiative in this space is the development of the Cultivating Resilience intervention. Additionally, we actively collaborate with other teams on similar interventions to extend our impact.
Our approach is rooted in community engagement. We believe in bringing interventions directly to communities by situating them within trusted local spaces. We prioritize interventions that are contextually-, linguistically-, and culturally-relevant, ensuring they resonate with the populations we serve. By adapting existing evidence-based interventions and co-designing new ones with our community and academic partners, we aim to create impactful solutions that advance mental health equity for all. Our commitment to applying implementation science further ensures that these interventions are not only effective but also scalable and sustainable across diverse settings.
Importantly, we intentionally approach our work from an assets-based framework, recognizing and building upon the strengths and resources within communities, rather than focusing solely on deficits. This perspective allows us to create more empowering and sustainable solutions that truly resonate with the communities we serve.
Lines of Research
- Understanding mechanisms of health inequities
- Intervention co-design and adaptation
- Community-engaged implementation of EBPs
- Fostering innovation through multicultural education
Methods
- Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods
- Human-centered design approaches
- Community-engaged methods
- Implementation science
Our Community & Academic Partners
In the context of several collaborations, we have developed strong partnerships with distinct agencies that work across distinct sectors.
Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) testing the "Cultivating Resilience" intervention
We are evaluating the preliminary clinical impact, acceptability, feasibility, and fidelity of the Cultivating Resilience (Cultivando Fortaleza) intervention across various community sites in first- and second-generation Latinos/as (N=50) residing in Milwaukee.
Cultural and Linguistic Adaptation of the "Coping Together" Intervention
We are collaborating with researchers at Duke University to carry out a cultural and linguistic adaptation for Latino families of “Coping Together”, which is a family-strengthening intervention that has been previously tested both in the US and Kenya with families (adults and children).
Program Evaluation of the UWM Roberto Hernandez Center
We have partnered with the UWM Roberto Hernandez Center, a multicultural center serving Latino/Hispanic students, to understand the mechanisms of change and impact of the student services they offer that allow students to have a “home away from home” on the UWM campus.