October 11, 2020

González Vera Selected as a Health Policy Research Scholar

José Manuel González Vera

José Manuel González Vera, a second-year student in the Utah State University Department of Psychology’s Combined Clinical Psychology/Counseling Psychology PhD program, has been selected as a new member of Health Policy Research Scholars (HPRS).

HPRS is a leadership program lead by Johnson Hopkins Bloomberg School for Public Health and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program is designed for students from historically underrepresented populations or disadvantaged backgrounds. Scholars receive personal and professional support in applying their research to advance equitable and inclusive policy and practice.

“I applied to HPRS because the program combines research with public policy work. Becoming a part of this program has granted me the opportunity to learn how to create change with my research,” said González Vera. “Another major reason that I applied to HPRS is that it is one of the few programs open to undocumented students.”

HPRS supports students with an annual stipend of up to $30,000 for four years. As a member of HPRS, González Vera will receive additional training in policy and leadership development and will establish and strengthen professional ties to public health and policy leaders. The HPRS program also includes an exclusive mentorship program and a national network of innovators from diverse fields.

“My dream career goal after graduation is to increase the accessibility of psychological interventions for undocumented people,” said González Vera. “I would love to research interventions that are geared towards the specific challenges that undocumented people face.”

Upon completing the HPRS program, González Vera will have enhanced leadership skills equipping him to apply and translate research to shape and advocate for systemic policy change.

“Individually, I had been working on ways to create change through research. I realized that creating change is a lot more difficult than I imagined,” said González Vera. “One of the main reasons I applied to this program was because their mission is exactly what I have been struggling to do.”

To learn more about HPRS, visit their website.