Researchers - NIHR Global Health Research Group

Jéssica López Peláez (Cali team)

Jéssica is a Psychologist from the Universidad de los Andes. She has a Masters in Cognitive Psychology, with postgraduate studies in psychocardiology and psycho-oncology at the University of Buenos Aires. She is a clinical resident in Surgical Psychoprophylaxis at the Durand Hospital of Buenos Aires. She is also a research professor at the Faculty of Health at the Santiago de Cali, and a member of the Association of Palliative Care of Colombia and the Latin American Association of Palliative Care.

She has clinical, teaching and research experience is in the field of Health Psychology and Palliative Care.

Jéssica is currently employed as a research assistant on the NIHR Global Mental Health group on Developing Psycho-social Interventions Project.

Andrea Burbano (Cali team)

Andrea is a student in the Academic Program of Business Administration at the Universidad del Valle. She has been in the Department of Psychiatry for 2 years, where she started as a Research assistant and now provides professional support to the Research Office.

Andrea is currently employed as a research assistant on the NIHR Global Mental Health group on Developing Psycho-social Interventions Project.

Karen

Karen Ariza Salazar (Bogotá)

Karen graduated as a Social Worker from the National University of Colombia in Bogotá in 2007. She has experience in management, formulation, execution and evaluation of social and educational programs. She has extensive knowledge and skills in socio-emotional education, prevention of psychoactive substance use and training of trainers. She has experience working with vulnerable social populations (children and youth), teachers and families. She was awarded 1st place in the 'Initiatives that Educate' awards (INICIATIVAS EDUCAN EN LATINOAMERICA) through the Artesmedia Foundation (Madrid, Spain: 2014) and 1st Place in the Santillana prize of educational experiences, from the Colombia Ministry of Education - “Pilos de Corazón” Program (Bogotá, 2013).

Karen is currently employed at the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics of the Universidad Javeriana, working as a research assistant on the NIHR Global Mental Health group on Developing Psycho-social Interventions Project.

Felipe

Felipe Botero (Bogotá)

Felipe graduated from the Medical Faculty of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá in 2019. At present, he is completing his Masters degree in Clinical Epidemiology at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. During his medical education, he was interested in mental health and public health, developing papers like "Toxoplasma gondii as risk factor to developing scchizophrenia", and coauthored a chapter in the book "Misión Colombia Envejece".

Felipe is currently employed at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, working as a research associate on the NIHR Global Health Group on Developing Psychoocial Interventions Project, coordinating the Volunteer Support study.

Camilo

Camilo Cabarique (Bogotá)

Camilo graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in 2014 and specialized in general psychiatry. He graduated in 2019 as a general psychiatrist, with the thesis 'Management of difficult behaviors in chronic and disabling mental pathologies'. During his training as a psychiatrist he has shown interest in psychoactive substance use disorders, receiving a meritorious mention in the LVII Colombian Congress of Psychiatry (Cartagena 2018), for the poster 'New drugs of design, a challenge in clinical practice'.

He currently works at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and works in the department of clinical epidemiology of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana as Coordinator / Research Associate in the Project on Developing Psycho-social Interventions as part of the NIHR Global Health Group.

Geraldine Rodriguez Espinosa (Bogotá)

Geraldine graduated in Social Work from the Externado de Colombia University in 2017. Before her graduation she participated in the "Manos para la paz" (Hands for Peace) program of the United Nations Development Program and post-conflict ministry in Colombia, working on a social project in the Guajira, one of the poorest regions affected by the armed conflcit in Colombia.

She has worked interdisciplinarily in the construction, execution and evaluation of projects focused on improving the social conditions of the population in different areas. She is interested in research in social policy and human rights in the post-conflict process in Colombia.

Currently she is employed at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana as a Research Assistant on the NIHR Global Health Group on Developing Psycho-Social Interventions.

Maria Camila (Bogotá)

Maria graduated in 2015 from Florida International University, where she received a BA degree in Psychology. Recently, in 2018, she completed a MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences from University College London. Throughout her MSc and her personal experience she developed a deeper interest for epidemiological research and the mental health issues present in the Colombian population. Therefore, she finalized her MSc dissertation project on the mental health effects of the Colombian armed conflict based on the findings from the 2015 Colombian National Mental Health Survey.

She currently is employed at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana as a Research Assistant on the NIHR Global Health Group on Developing Psycho-Social Interventions.