Juan Pena, PhD

Juan Pena is a bilingual English and Spanish-speaking scholar and first-generation college graduate of Mexican descent. Dr. Peña is an Assistant Professor at San José State University in the Department of Psychology. His research focuses on the social determinants of health that contribute to physical and mental health disparities among populations most underrepresented in research, with a focus on Hispanic or Latino/a/x people and immigrant communities. Another area of research is on community engaged research approaches (e.g., CBPR) to improve health and social equity, including expanding evidence-based and culturally appropriate mental health care and utilization among underrepresented and culturally diverse populations.