Archive for: Early Intervention

Irene Valdovinos is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and an incoming first year doctoral student
in the Department of Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. She received
her Master of Social Welfare and Master of Public Health from UCLA in 2012. Irene has
experience working in the fields of mental health and substance use treatment as a clinician in
integrated care programs. In these settings, she offered individual, family, and group counseling
services. Prior to returning to UCLA to start the PhD program, Irene worked at Azusa Pacific
University as a grant specialist and evaluation coordinator. There she managed multiple
workforce development and evaluation projects funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Substance
Abuse Prevention and Control division, and other local-level sponsors.

Her broad research interests include understanding factors that impact substance use and
enhancing early intervention and treatment services for minority youth and young adults
impacted by substance use.