Department and Institution:
Social Welfare, UC Berkeley
Bio/CV:
Valentín “Val” Sierra is a Ph.D. candidate at the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare. Val’s clinical and research agendas focus on eliminating mental health disparities, particularly suicide and depression, for urban Native American young people through culturally grounded practices and interventions. They hold a M.S.W. from Berkeley Social Welfare and a B.A. in Native American Studies, with highest honors, from UC Davis. They are currently working on a community-based research project in partnership with the Sacramento Native American Health Center, Inc. to develop an Indigenous culture-based suicide screener. Val is an Associate Clinical Social Worker and an active member of the California Yaqui (Yoeme) Indian community.
