Director

Dr. Arthur "Trey" Andrews III

  I direct the Iniciativa Healthcare Access & Bienestar Latine (HABLa) lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  I received my PhD in Clinical Psychology   from the University of Arkansas  in 2014.  I also did my clinical internship at the Medical University of South Carolina with a specialization in traumatic stress.  I continued this  work as an NIMH-funded postdoctoral fellow at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (also at the Medical University of South  Carolina).  Throughout my clinical training and clinical work I retained a focus on providing services  for Latinx immigrant populations.  The majority of  my clinical work has been conducted in Spanish. In  2016, I joined the faculty in the Department of  Psychology with the Clinical Training Program and the Institute for Ethnic Studies with Latino and Latin American Studies.  

 I am incredibly passionate about making sure that my research translates into positive impacts for my community.  This is reflected in my dual research aims.  I want to make sure that we not only understand why disparities occur for Latinx populations, but also make sure that we find solutions.  Similarly, I want to provide mentoring opportunities to individuals from underrepresented backgrounds and work to improve diversity in the psychology training pipeline.  When I'm not working on research or teaching, I enjoy traveling and spending time outdoors with my wife, daughter, and son.

 You can find my full CV here.  Also, please feel free to contact me at arthur.andrews@unl.edu if you are interested in my research or have questions about joining the lab.  You can also see my faculty page here.

Graduate Students

Laura Acosta 

Laura graduated from Florida State University (FSU) in 2015 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. During her time as an undergraduate, she worked as a research assistant in clinical psychology labs and eventually completed her honors thesis under Dr. Thomas Joiner on suicidal ideation among Hispanic/Latinx individuals. After graduating, she went on to work in the social psychology labs of Dr. James McNulty and Dr. Andrea Meltzer where she coordinated four longitudinal projects on marital satisfaction among couples. Her passion for research lies in the prevention of mental health disparities among minority populations, especially Hispanic/Latinx individuals. She is also fascinated by the dual roles that family can have in the prevention and sometimes exacerbation of mental health disorders among Hispanic/Latinx young adult and adolescent populations. Aside from her academic pursuits, Laura can be found spending time with her family and Corgis, watching documentaries, playing video games, and complaining about the lack of Cuban food in NE. 

María Natalia Acosta

Natalia Acosta

Natalia graduated from Universidad de los Andes, in Bogotá, Colombia in 2016 with a B.S. in Psychology. For three years she worked as a research assistant in the Public Health area of Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota, a local non-profit private institution. There, she participated in projects regarding screening of behavioral and emotional issues in early childhood, prevention of obesity and diabetes in rural populations, and sexual health education of Colombian youth. She also worked with teens who were former guerrilla members, most of whom experienced internal displacement. Natalia is interested in the factors that influence the development of mental health issues in immigrants, especially Latinx population. In her spare time, she enjoys watching movies and series, as well as reading any book she can lay her hands on.

Allura Ralston

 Allura

Allura received her B.A. in psychology from Temple University. As an undergraduate, she worked in the Adult Anxiety Clinic of Temple where she completed her honors thesis under the direction of Dr. Richard Heimberg. After graduation, she worked at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, coordinating research projects exploring technology-assisted adjuncts to care. These experiences ignited a passion for research and clinical work focusing on mental health disparities and treatment dissemination and implementation strategies (particularly technology-assisted treatments) for underserved populations. She bridges these research and clinical interests through her work with both Dr. Andrews’ lab and Dr. Debra Hope’s lab. Outside of her academic pursuits, Allura enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and spending time outdoors.

Vanessa Dominguez

Vanessa graduated from the University of Florida (UF) in 2015 with a B.S. in Psychology, B.A. in Anthropology, and minors in Health Disparities and Women’s Studies. As an undergraduate, Vanessa interned at the Florida Department of Health as a Florida Certified HIV Counselor. Following graduation, Vanessa worked as a post-baccalaureate research assistant at the Center for Study of Emotion and Attention/Fear and Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the University of Florida. Under Dr. Peter Lang, Vanessa worked on an NIMH funded study researching multidimensional classifiers for anxiety and mood disorders through psychophysiology measures, fMRI, and cortisol. Vanessa joined the Woods Neuromodulation Lab at UF in 2018 as a study Interventionist applying transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in conjunction with cognitive training for the Augmenting Cognitive Training in Older Adults (ACT) Study. Vanessa’s research interests include the development of mental health issues and their relationship to cultural factors, linguistic barriers, and physical disease in underrepresented groups, specifically racial and ethnic minorities and immigrant populations. Vanessa enjoys cooking, social justice advocacy, and drinking lots of coffee.

Project Managers 

Evelyn Estrada Gonzalez - Project Manager 

Evelyn graduated from UNL with a B.A in Psychology and Ethnic studies with minors in Spanish and Child Youth & Families studies. As an undergrad, Evelyn worked for the Getting Ready Project where she developed several research projects related to parental behaviors and early childhood teacher strategies. She also worked for the Forced Migration & Health Research lab and conducted her senior thesis on Community Health Workers’ perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the future, Evelyn hopes to attend graduate school. In her spare time, Evelyn enjoys spending time with friends and family, collecting plants, and reading.  

Juan José Castaño-Márquez [él/he/they] - Project Manager

Juan José Castaño-Márquez is a Colombian-born queer artist, photographer, educator, and storyteller currently living in occupied očhéthi šakówiŋ, pâri [pawnee], and jiwere lands, now also called Lincoln, NE. Juan's work explores contemporary issues and personal identity through performance, historiography, and archivization. Some of his projects directly engage with ideas of representation of "the other"–this other being both brown and queer; historical erasure; and situations of victimization in his country of birth.

Up until recently, Castaño-Márquez was Assistant Professor of Digital Media in the Department of Art at Nebraska Wesleyan University, where he served from 2019 to 2022. Currently, he balances his work at ‘Iniciativa HABLa lab’ at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with his studio practice and the creative production of Spooky Evenings, a program addressing the field of horror through diverse scholarly approaches. Juan earned his MFA in Studio Art [Expanded Media] from the University of Kansas in 2018 and an AA of Photography from academia Yurupary in 2015. He also graduated from Universidad Católica de Oriente with a BA in International Commerce in 2011.
Sara Reyes (She/Her/Ella) - Project Manager

Sara graduated from UNL where she earned a B.A. in psychology with minors in Spanish and Sociology. As an undergrad, she volunteered in the UNL Family Development lab where she developed several independent projects related to depression among pregnant couples. Sara also volunteered in the Latinx Mental Health lab with Dr. Trey Andrews. After graduation, she worked at i4Heatlh under Dr. Ricardo Muñoz. At i4Health, she coordinated several mobile mental health projects aimed towards reducing health disparities with technology both online and throughout San Francisco. Outside of academia, Sara has worked in rural Nebraska, serving Spanish-speaking immigrants and refugees through the Head Start progra

She is currenlty a graduate student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), where she is completing a Mastesr in Public Health with a focus on Health Adminstration and Policy. In her free time, Sara enjoys eating, running, taking care of her plants, and thrifting. 

Research Assistants 

Joana Reyes - Undergraduate Research Assistant  

Joana is double majoring in psychology and child, youth & family studies with a minor in Spanish. She is currently helping with the CARE and Pa'Lante projects. She is involved with the Honors Program and is a mentor for the Nebraska College Preparatory Academy. She hopes to work with adolescents and their families through therapy. Joana enjoys knitting, sewing, or reading during her free time. 

Laura Perez Villagomez - Undergraduate Research Assistant 

Laura is double majoring in psychology and sociology with minors in Criminology & Criminal Justice, Child Youth & Families Studies, and Spanish. On-campus she volunteers at the Husker Pantry, is a William H. Thompson and NHRI peer mentor, and is involved with the Honors Program. She is currently helping with the CARE Project. She plans to attend graduate school in the near future. She enjoys playing tennis, solving puzzles, exploring nature, and spending time with friends.

Clarice Santos - Undergraduate Research Assistant 

Clarice is a Junior majoring in sociology and economics with minors in psychology, mathematics, art history, and English. She is currently helping with the MoVES project. Clarice plans to attend graduate school in near future. In her free time, Clarice enjoys reading books, painting, and drawing. 

Aaron Heras 

Aaron graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2020 with a psychology major. He is currently helping with the CARE Project. Aaron plans to work in the mental/public health field. During his free time, he enjoys to cook and exercise.  

Research Assistant Alumni

Elizabeth Otto - Project Manager

Elizabeth graduated from UNL where she earned a B.A. in psychology with minors in Ethnic Studies and Women & Gender Studies. As an undergrad, she volunteered in the Trauma, Violence and Abuse lab where she worked on various projects investgating trauma, PTSD, and bystander behavior. She also worked on an independent project examining the hypersexualization of African American Women in hip-hop music. After graduation, she briefly worked for the Department of Health and Human Services, before joining the lab. Elizabeth is interested in discrimination, trauma and minority stress research. She hopes to attend graduate school in the psychology field.  In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys cooking and baking, reading books, collecting mangas, watching anime and trash reality TV, and sleeping (when she can).

Sandra Mariely Estrada - Former Project Manager & Research Assistant

Sandra “Mariely” Estrada was a post-baccalaureate research assistant for the Latinx Mental Health and Outcomes Lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Mariely graduated from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln in 2019 with a BA with majors in Psychology, Ethnic Studies & Spanish and minors in Women & Gender Studies, Latin American Studies and English. Mariely’s research interests center on understanding and addressing mental health disparities among ethnic minority populations especially in the Latinx community, and on understanding how unique factors like immigration, access to recourses and acculturation alter the experience of trauma, particularly in domestic violence and human trafficking contexts. Mariely is now at the University of Texas- Rio Grande Valley Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. 

Eduardo Castillo

 Eduardo

Agustín Hayes

Agustin

Andrew Finkner

Andrew

Maricela Galdamez

Maricela

Lesley Garcia

José Villa Huerta