Leopoldo J. Cabassa, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatric Social Work in Psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and the Assistant Director of the New York State Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. 

Dr. Cabassa received his M.S.W and Ph.D. from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.  He completed in 2004 an NIMH pre-doctoral fellowship at the Center for Mental Health Services Research at Washington University and in 2006 a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Social Work.  Prior to joining the faculty at Columbia, Dr. Cabassa was an Assistant Professor at the USC School of Social Work and at the USC Keck School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. 

His research focuses on understanding the causes of racial and ethnic disparities in health and mental health care and in developing and implementing culturally tailored interventions aimed at reducing these disparities.  His scholarship and publications have focused on racial and ethnic minorities’ access to mental health services, acculturation theory and measures, integration of depression and diabetes care in the Latino community, depression treatments in primary care, suicidal behavior among Latina teens, the effects of language and ethnicity in the psychiatric diagnostic process, and the quality of care in social and medical services and the physical health of people with serious mental illness.  His work has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, and the New York State Office of Mental Health.  Dr. Cabassa has taught graduate level courses in research and evaluation methods, mental health policy, and social work with Latino populations.  He is a member of the Society for Social Work and Research, the American Public Health Association, and the Academy of Health.

Last updated November 30, 2010.