Oscar Jiménez-Solomon, MPH

Research Scientist, New York State Psychiatric Institute
Senior Research Staff Associate (in Psychiatry), Dep. of Psychiatry, Columbia Univ.

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 by tackling its social determinants through research, innovative interventions, and policy advocacy. 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 after completing a bachelor’s degree in Sociology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. Oscar is currently pursuing a PhD in Social Policy at the Columbia University School of Social Work.

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 pilot From Hardship to Hope, a peer-led financial wellness intervention to reduce financial hardship and suicide risk. Oscar’s work at the CECC has included 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. As part of his doctoral research, Oscar is conducting a study at the Columbia Center on Poverty and Social Policy to better understand how poverty, material hardship, and psychological distress reinforce one another, and to identify the best programs and policies that can best break the cycle of impoverishment and mental health decline.

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). Between 2008-2012, Oscar served as Director of Community and Economic Development at the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS). His programmatic and research experience include masculinity, sexual and reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS. Oscar has co-authored peer-reviewed publications, books, manuals, and training programs in the United States and Latin America.