Adrian Aguilera, PhD
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California

Adrian Aguilera, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley and an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. He received his B.A. from Stanford University in Psychology and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from UCLA. Dr. Aguilera has studied the influence of culture and socioeconomic status on mental health outcomes and is now applying that knowledge to develop technology applications for health. His current research focuses on utilizing digital technologies to improve mental healthcare for low-income and underserved populations. He has developed HealthySMS, a texting platform for health interventions and research. He developed and tested a text messaging based companion to cognitive behavioral treatment for depression with the goal increasing engagement and improving outcomes. He is currently developing a machine learning and health educator supported texting intervention to improve physical activity among people with comorbid diabetes and depression. He is committed to utilizing innovative tools to reduce health disparities in low-income and ethnic minority populations.