H.O.P.E.+ Initiative

Guillermina R. Solis, PhD, APRN, FNP-C

gsolis2@utep.edu

Dr. Solis’ research is health disparities in the Latinx population. She is a founder of the Wellness Clinic at the Center Against Sexual and Family Violence (CASFV) emergency shelter, a community of practice for nursing faculty, students, and health professionals. She is a co-founder of the Health, Opportunity, Education, and Prevention (H.O.P.E.), a health community coalition for the home-free and vulnerable population in El Paso region. Her research includes addressing functionality and autonomy among older adults and their informal caregivers. She has conducted research on fall injuries and implemented community fall prevention programs in the community. She collaborated with El Paso Fire Department and University Medical Center to examine the prevalence of fall injuries in the El Paso region to influence healthcare service coordination. Her external research collaborators include Cornell Medical College, TTUHSC-El Paso, and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) College of Nursing. The research has expanded to the decision-making process for end-of-life care among older adults and their families. Hispanics live longer than other ethnic groups, have a high prevalence of multiple chronic illnesses, and higher incidence of Alzheimer’s dementia. This fuels her passion for bringing to light the problems confronting older adults, their families, and the communities where they reside. Dr. Solis is a bilingual nurse practitioner with access to a large patient population and community partners. She welcomes interdisciplinary collaboration beyond health services and is passionate about serving the Latinx population and all communities.

Silvia M. Chavez-Baray, Ph.D.

smchavezbaray@utep.edu

Silvia M. Chavez-Baray holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and three Masters in Child Psychology and Clinical Interventions. She received a Post Doc Fellowship and serves as adjunct faculty and researcher at the Department of Social Work, College of Health Sciences and Chicano Studies, College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at El Paso. Founder and instructor of the psychoeducational group "Breaking the cycle of violence" since 2010, which was initiated in Diocesan Migrant Refugee Services for victims and survivors of violence against women in El Paso, Texas. From 2012 to 2015 she worked as the Ventanilla de Salud Coordinator for the Mexican Consulate of El Paso. She served as Gender Adviser (2012-2016) for the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior. She was a professor of the Instituto Humanista de Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico; PIME of Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez, and the Colegio Iberoamericano in Teresanio Center of Higher Education section in Mexico. Her research and publications focus on migration, health, tuberculosis, photovoice methodology, violence, and sexual and reproductive health. She is the coordinator of the H.O.P.E.+ health initiative and has been instrumental in the success of the health fairs. 

Jodie Rodriguez, MSW

jarodriguez64@miners.utep.edu

Jodie A. Rodriguez has a master's degree in social work (MSW) from the University of Texas at El Paso where she focused on the social and health needs of both families and communities within a U.S.-Mexico border region. She is a research assistant for the H.O.P.E.+ Initiative, which allows her to engage in research on health prevention, community outreach, and education within the home-free population. Jodie has helped organize several health fairs throughout the County of El Paso in order to alleviate barriers in accessing healthcare. During her studies, Jodie worked as an intern for the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic with Endeavors, which allowed her to engage in therapeutic interventions with active-duty service members, veterans and their families. She also worked as an intern for Peak Behavioral Health Services, which allowed her to provide short-term inpatient treatment for adolescents and adults experiencing an acute crisis. Upon completion of her graduate degree, she intends to progress toward a career as a licensed clinical social worker and begin her own private practice to assist in reducing mental health disparities.  

Bijan Sardaryzadeh

bssardaryzad@miners.utep.edu

Bijan Sardaryzadeh, is a College Junior at the University of Texas at El Paso majoring in biology and minoring in psychology with the goal of entering medical school and becoming a pediatric surgeon; In the past years he has dedicated time to increase his knowledge and experience doing volunteer work in the area of healthcare by involving himself in providing information and education to the underserved and disadvantaged communities in the borderland which include El Paso, San Elizario, and Ciudad Juarez. This motivated him to obtain his Texas certification as a Certified Community Health Worker/Promotores de Salud in 2017 where he also instructs CPR awareness classes to the youth. During the summers he shadows a cardiologist and pediatrician to understand the ailments that affect his community and find ways as a future medical professional to involve himself and help his community. At The University of Texas at El Paso he is an undergraduate research assistant for the H.O.P.E. + Initiative. During his time as a research assistant, he became co-author of the publication ROTMENAS a Model to Address Mental Health Inequities among Under-Served Populations in the Mexico – U.S. Border. He has also collaborated in giving a workshop for the “Jovenes en Accion” program where the attendees practiced the tools learned to establish health fairs for their own community. Bijan also gave a class to the community health workers, teaching them the importance and how to obtain digital health literacy in a module training called “Módulo 4: Alfabetización digital en Salud 101”. Bijan has also taken the leadership role of becoming a UTEP Ambassador for his school and a Community Service and Philanthropy Executive for his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, where he involves the youth to serve in their community.  

Araceli Garcia, B.A.

agarcia185@utep.edu

Araceli Garcia is a Research Assistant in the Social Work Department in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Texas at El Paso in December 2021. Her research interest are in mental health disparities in underserved populations (Latinx, criminally-involved individuals, home-free), and is interested in pursuing a doctorate degree in Psychology in the future. She is currently involved in the Behavioral Project at the Border Biomedical Research Center which assesses HPV-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices in a Hispanic community sample to identify barriers and facilitate HPV vaccine uptake. She is a research assistant for the H.O.P.E.+ initiative where she helps with the coordination of the events.