Staff

CECC Staff

The Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence is one of two research centers designated by the New York State Office of Mental Health to investigate and disseminate best practices in the delivery of culturally competent mental health services to underserved populations who are affected by cultural and linguistic barriers.

Roberto Lewis-Fernández, MD – Director

Roberto Lewis-Fernández, MD has authored a body of research focusing on developing clinical interventions and novel service-delivery approaches to help overcome disparities in the care of underserved cultural groups.  

Oscar Jiménez-Solomon, Research Coordinator

Oscar Jiménez-Solomon is a mental health recovery researcher and consumer advocate. Oscar was born and raised in Peru, and immigrated to the U.S. as a young adult. He obtained a Master of Public Health at Columbia University (2003) and a License in Sociology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (1997). Oscar has dedicated his career to improving the availability of and access to recovery-oriented and culturally competent mental health services, as well as the social conditions of people with psychiatric diagnoses, through research, program development, and policy...

Neil Krishan Aggarwal, Research Psychiatrist

Neil Krishan Aggarwal is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and a Research Psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. As a cultural psychiatrist, his interests are in the clinical and forensic constructions of culture within mental health services. At the Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence, he conducts clinical research on the Cultural Formulation Interview whose development he contributed to as an advisor to the DSM-5 Cross-Cultural Issues Subgroup. Neil Krishan Aggarwal’s research focus is cross-cultural diagnostic assessment and treatment planning with racial and ethnic minorities in mental health...

Peter Lam, Data Manager / Analyst

Peter Lam earned a BA from Binghamton University in 2007 and an MPH from Columbia University in 2013.

Ana Stefancic, PhD – Associate Research Scientist

Ana Stefancic has over 15 years of experience researching the effectiveness of housing and support services for individuals who have experienced homelessness, psychiatric disabilities, substance abuse, and chronic medical conditions. Current projects include a randomized clinical trial examining the implementation and effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle intervention for supportive housing participants, as well as identifying the underlying mechanisms of peer-delivered...