Oswaldo Moreno, Ph.D.

Director, La Esperanza Research 

Dr. Oswaldo Moreno (he/him/his) is the Director of La Esperanza Research Program. He is also an Associate Professor of Psychology and the Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). He earned a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies from Arizona State University, a  M.T.S. in Religion and Social Science from Harvard University, as well as M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Clark University. Dr. Moreno also conducted a Pre-doctoral Residency Training at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology at Boston University School of Medicine and completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Brown University School of Public Health. Broadly, his research involves understanding and addressing the health and healthcare disparities in the United States that affect individuals from low-income and racial/ethnic minority backgrounds, especially the Latine communities. Dr. Moreno research program includes both applied and basic research that lie at the intersection of motivational interviewing theories, prevention/intervention science, and cultural and contextual approaches to clinical science including psychology of religion and spirituality. His research projects have included evidenced-based practices, culturally sensitive interventions, prevention for Latine youth and families, as well as substance use and mood disorders.

Isis Garcia-Rodriguez

Graduate Research Assistant - 6th Year Ph.D. Student

Isis Garcia-Rodriguez (she/her/hers) is a Ph.D. student in VCU's Counseling Psychology’s Doctoral Program. Before VCU, Isis received her bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology and Health & Society at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. While at La Esperanza, Isis was awarded the Commonwealth of Virginia as a COVES Policy Fellow. The title of her doctoral dissertation was "Social determinants of alcohol use among Latine college students." Isis is currently on an APPIC-approved internship program at the University of Virginia. Her research interests are in the areas of legal status, parent-child relationships, systemic factors (e.g., public policy), immigration, immigration trauma, and overall adolescent health in Latin mixed-status families. Overall, Isis is invested in continuing to engage with the Hispanic/Latine community and contribute through interdisciplinary research, clinical practice, policy, and advocacy.

Cindy Hernandez

Graduate Research Assistant - 5th Year Ph.D. Student

Cindy Hernandez (she/they/ella/elles) is a Ph.D. student in VCU's Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program. Before VCU, Cindy received her bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Communication Studies from the University of Florida. Their research interests are in the areas of mental health disparities within the Latine community, immigration and policy-related trauma, resilience, advocacy, and identity formation in Latine immigrants. While at La Esperanza, Cindy was awarded a F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research from the National Institute of Drug Abuse. The title of her F31 is "The Role of caregiver-adolescent Interpersonal and Cultural Factors on Latinx Adolescent Tobacco Use: A mixed-methods Study." Overall, Cindy is invested in increasing accessibility to higher education and mental health services for the Hispanic/Latine community and advocating for immigrant rights.

Geovani Munoz

Graduate Research Assistant - 4th Year Ph.D Student

Geovani Muñoz (he/him/his) is a Ph.D. student in VCU's Counseling Psychology’s Doctoral Program. Before VCU, Geovani received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Political Science from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona). While at VCU, Geovani has been funded by the American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program and The Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science (COVES) Fellowship. His research interests are in areas of reducing mental health disparities among ethnic minority children, adolescents, and families through evidence-based practices and investigating methods that increase the academic success of ethnic minority communities. Overall, Geovani is invested in increasing mental health services for the Latine/Hispanic community, as well as other ethnic minority populations.

Camila Tirado

Graduate Research Assistant - 3rd Year Ph.D. Student

Camila Tirado (she/they/ella/elles) is a Ph.D. student in VCU's Counseling Psychology’s Doctoral Program. While at La Esperanza, Camila completed their NIH Diversity Supplement from the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Their grant is entitled, "Predicting effects of ENDS flavor regulations among Latinx/e smokers: Impact of cultural assets on attitudes, intentions, and behavior." Camila's research interests include mindfulness and contemplative practices in transgenerational trauma counseling, as well as multicultural and social justice counseling. After La Esperanza, Camila hopes to accomplish an interdisciplinary clinical science with neuroscience to investigate substance use/ addictions, trauma, and mindfulness in underrepresented populations.

Natalia Gomez Giuliani

Graduate Research Assistant - 2nd Year Ph.D. Student

Natalia Gómez Giuliani (she/her/ella) is a Ph.D. student in VCU's Counseling Psychology’s Doctoral Program. Before VCU, Natalia was a research area specialist at the University of Texas, San Antonio, and a research assistant at the University of South Alabama. Natalia received her bachelor’s in Psychology from Carlos Albizu University in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her research interests broadly focus on the intersections between individual, cultural, and contextual factors and their relationship with service utilization, health behaviors, and well-being, specifically in Latine/Hispanics. Additionally, she is interested in increasing access to culturally sensitive mental health care at the individual and collective level through clinical application and mentoring future Latine professionals. Overall, Natalia is invested in the healing of Latine/Hispanics through increased access and utilization of effective and culturally appropriate mental health services.

Andrea Rodriguez Crespo

Graduate Research Assistant - 1st Year Ph.D. Student

Andrea Rodriguez Crespo (she/her/ella) is a Ph.D. student in the Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program at VCU. Before her studies at VCU, Andrea completed a bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Biology and a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Her research interests were initially shaped by her work in a neuroscience lab, where she explored the neurobiology of drug addiction in preclinical models and investigated nicotine dependence in patients with diabetes. This foundational biological perspective has guided her current research focus. Andrea’s research interests include assessing mental health, trauma, and addictive behaviors in underserved communities, with a particular emphasis on cultural and environmental risk and protective factors. She is also interested in the role of contemplative practices in addressing transgenerational trauma. Overall, Andrea is committed to developing and delivering effective interventions for underrepresented populations and military personnel with mental health needs.

Lisa Fuentes, Ph.D.

La Esperanza Research Alumnus 

Dr. Lisa Fuentes (she/her/hers) is an alumnus of VCU's Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program. Before VCU, Dr. Fuentes received her bachelor's degree in Sociology from Brigham Young University (BYU) and a master's degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Denver. Her research interests are in the areas of mental health disparities among underserved populations, Latine Psychology, healing historical trauma, and mental health practices among indigenous populations. The title of her dissertation was "Immigration related-stressors and Latinx immigrant well-being: The role of family and community resilience." Dr. Fuentes also completed an APPIC-accredited internship at Rutgers University Health Services in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Currently, she is a post-doctoral fellow in the Washington DC area. Overall, Dr. Fuentes is invested in continuing to be part of the process of removing the stigma that is associated with mental health in Latine communities and providing culturally appropriate services.