LCH Research Director Dr. India Ornelas Awarded $3 Million to Study Latina Mental Health

Dr. India Ornelas, Latino Center for Health Research Director and Associate Professor in the Department of Health Services, was recently awarded three million dollars from the National Institute of Health to conduct a randomized control trial of a culturally-responsive intervention to reduce mental health disparities among Latina immigrant women. This 5-year project will involve adapting an existing mental health program for Latina immigrants, Amigas Latinas Motivando El Alma (ALMA), to be delivered as a multi-site intervention in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties. The ALMA program is designed to enhance social support for Latina participants and promote self-care and coping strategies to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. This project builds on pilot work conducted in 2015 that demonstrated the potential impact of the ALMA curriculum on mental health among a sample of 24 Latina immigrants. Read more about the current study here. Congratulations to Dr. Ornelas and the ALMA team!