Oscar Jiménez-Solomon, PhD, MPH

Oscar Jiménez-Solomon, PhD., MPH

Research Scientist

Please click here to read Mr. Jiménez-Solomon’s CV.

Oscar Jiménez-Solomon is a mental health and social policy researcher who has dedicated his career to reducing inequities in mental health. His research focuses on understanding the role of social determinants of mental health and developing and evaluating social interventions.

Oscar was born and raised in Peru and immigrated to the U.S. as a young adult. He holds a PhD in Social Policy and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

Since 2013, Oscar has served as Research Scientist at the Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center. Currently, Oscar is Principal Investigator of a study funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to develop and test the feasibility and efficacy of From Hardship to Hope, a peer-led financial wellness intervention to reduce financial hardship and suicide risk. In collaboration with the Columbia Center on Poverty and Social Policy, Oscar is conducting a study to better understand how poverty, material hardship, and psychological distress reinforce one another.

At the Columbia Mental Wellness Equity Center, Oscar leads the development of a community health worker-led financial empowerment intervention delivered in conjunction with brief evidence-based mental health interventions as part of ENGAGE, a community-based program funded by the New York State Office of Mental Health.

Oscar’s past work includes the development of empowerment videos and training manuals to support young people experiencing first-episode psychosis, and people with limited English proficiency, to access culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Oscar is a member of the New York State Suicide Prevention Council, Academy of Peer Services Advisory Board, and Board of Directors of the National Disability Institute (NDI). Oscar’s past roles include Director of Community and Economic Development at the Alliance for Rights and Recovery (formerly New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, NYAPRS; 2008-2012), Officer of Research at the Mailman School of Public Health (2003-2004), Research Associate at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (1997-1999), and International Consultant at the United Nation Population Fund (2003-2004). His programmatic and research experience has included studies in the fields of masculinity, sexual and reproductive health, maternal mortality, and HIV/AIDS. Oscar has co-authored peer-reviewed publications, books, manuals, and training programs in the United States and Latin America.