Omar G. Gudiño, PhD, ABPP, Named 2016 Judy E. Hall Early Career Psychologist Award Winner

At the National Register’s spring meeting, the Board of Directors voted to present the 2016 Judy E. Hall, PhD, Early Career Psychologist Award to Omar G. Gudiño, PhD, ABPP.

The award is named after Judy E. Hall, PhD, the Executive Officer of the National Register from 1990 to 2013. The award recognizes excellence in a National Register credentialed psychologist with fewer than ten years of postdoctoral experience, and the associated $2,500 stipend supports a project that advances the mission, vision, and values of the National Register.

Upon receipt of the award, Dr. Gudiño said, “It is an honor to be named as one of the recipients of the 2016 Judy E. Hall PhD Early Career Psychologist Award. As health service psychologists, we have the unique ability to contribute to the National Register’s vision of improving the health of a diverse and global community through both science and practice. In my own work, I aim to improve the delivery of mental health services to ethnic/racial minority children and adolescents through a collaborative approach that includes families, communities, and service systems. Thanks to this award, we will be able to translate our research on disparities in unmet mental health need for Latino youth into practices that seek to eliminate these disparities. I am grateful to the National Register for recognizing our efforts and for providing this funding to ensure that all children with mental health needs receive care.”

Dr. Gudiño plans to use the $2,500 award stipend to examine the disparities in mental health service use among racial/ethnic minority children and adolescents and refine an intervention to improve the engagement and retention of Latino families coming into contact with the mental health system.

He writes that only 20% of children and adolescents with mental health needs in the U.S. receive services and Latino youths are three times more likely to have unmet mental health needs than their non-Hispanic white peers. The proposed project builds on his work aimed at understanding mental health disparities among racial/ethnic minority children and adolescents. The initial phase of the project focuses on refining an intervention to improve the engagement and retention of Latino families coming into contact with the mental health system. The second phase of the project includes an initial test of the intervention utilizing a randomized controlled design.

Dr. Gudiño is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Denver, where he provides research and clinical training to undergraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral trainees. He also directs a program of research focused on understanding and meeting the mental health needs of ethnic minority youth. This program of research spans work on risk and resilience, racial/ethnic disparities, and intervention research. He takes a community-engaged approach to his work, where he seeks to integrate clinical science, practice, teaching, policy, and community empowerment. He also serves as an appointed member of the Denver Latino Commission, where he advises the mayor on issues and policies relevant to the Latino community.

Dr. Gudiño has been credentialed by the National Register since 2011.

This announcement will also be featured in the National Register’s Fall 2016 issue of The Register Report.

About the National Register of Health Service Psychologists

The National Register of Health Service Psychologists is the largest credentialing organization for psychologists. Established in 1974, the independent nonprofit organization is dedicated to improving healthcare by identifying psychologists who meet specific credentialing standards to consumers, healthcare organizations, and regulatory bodies. For more information, visit www.nationalregister.org.

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For more information about this announcement, contact the National Register at 202.783.7663.