Mario Hernandez Selected As Interim Chair of CFS

Mario Hernandez has been selected to serve as Interim Chair for the Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS) at USF’s Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI).

“We received many excellent nominations,” said Robert Friedman, who is leaving the CFS Chair position to become interim dean of FMHI. “But the person who received the strongest support, both from within his own division and without, was Mario.”

Dr. Hernandez is known nationally for his expertise in a number of topics such as systems of care, cultural competence and disparities, measurement of outcomes, and theories of change. He is a clinical psychologist who received his Ph.D. at USF, while working as a graduate assistant at FMHI. He moved to California to do his internship and then worked within the Ventura County public mental health system, where he rose to be Director of Children's Mental Health. He returned to Tampa and FMHI in 1993, and is now a tenured professor and director for one of five divisions (TREaD) within CFS, where he provides leadership and management for a variety of research and technical assistance projects.

Dr. Hernandez has served as Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator on a number of studies. Among projects he is currently involved is: studying the use of logic models as a tool for developing theories of change; providing training and technical assistance to 25 funded system-of-care communities; working to improve practices that support access and utilization of services for ethnically/racially diverse children (birth to 22) and their families; and providing technical assistance in helping Broward’s Child Mental Health System of Care develop and test their theory of change.

Dr. Hernandez has been the recipient of a variety of awards and honors, and most recently include:

• Founder, first Hispanic Federation of Families chapter. University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, August 2005.

• “President’s Award for Faculty Excellence,” given for achievements and contributions to the University of South Florida. University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, January 2003.

• “Our Heart for your Heart Award,” for years of service to children, families and community in Ventura County, California by United Parents for Families, Moor Park, California, May, 2000.

Dr. Hernandez has recently edited and contributed to a special issue of The Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research focused on system accountability in children's mental health. In addition, he has edited a book on cultural competence in children's mental health services. In 1998, he was a contributor and consultant to the Surgeon General's First Report on Mental Health. In 2001 he edited & contributed to a book titled Tools, Case Studies and Frameworks for Developing Outcome Accountability in Children's Mental Health, and has also contributed to numerous chapters, articles, technical reports and monographs.

He will become interim chair on August 1, 2006.