Oscar Jiménez-Solomon – Treasurer

Having been born and raised in Peru and immigrated to the United States as a young adult, I have personally experienced how migration, culture, and structural inequities can shape mental well-being. These experiences have profoundly influenced my work as a social scientist and public health researcher, grounding my focus on the social determinants of mental health—particularly poverty, financial hardship, and systemic inequities affecting ethnoracially minoritized communities.

I hold a PhD in Social Policy and an MPH from Columbia University, and a BA in Sociology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. Since 2013, I have served as a Research Scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI), Columbia University Medical Center. In 2024, I was appointed Assistant Director of the New York Sate Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence, where I lead a study testing a financial empowerment intervention for suicide prevention. I also hold research roles at the NYSPI Mental Wellness Equity Center and the Columbia University Center on Poverty and Social Policy, where I investigate how material hardship contributes to mental distress and how social interventions can reduce poverty and promote financial and mental wellness.

My contributions to cultural psychiatry span research, training, and global knowledge dissemination. I have co-authored publications on the Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) and helped develop a widely used online training module on the CFI for clinicians worldwide. I led the development of a training toolkit for first-episode psychosis providers on navigating cultural dilemmas and spearheaded What Matters Most to Young People in Early Psychosis, a video-based narrative project exploring identity and culture. I also co-developed training materials on working with interpreters in collaboration with Danish colleagues.

With over 20 years of experience across the U.S. and Latin America, my work reflects a deep and sustained commitment to mental health equity and culturally responsive care. I have led and collaborated on research, policy, and program initiatives in the United States, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Chile, consistently addressing the intersections of culture, structural inequities, and well-being. I have held roles at institutions such as the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, UNFPA, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and the Alliance for Rights and Recovery. My work has been supported by organizations such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, National Alliance on Mental Illness, USAID, and the Ford Foundation. I have also authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, policy reports, and training tools.