Desi Alonzo Vásquez received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, with a doctoral minor in Quantitative Psychology, from the University of Oklahoma in 2008. He is currently a Fellow in Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia Health System primarily working in the Behavioral Health & Technology Program. His research interests include behavioral intervention dissemination and uptake in rural, economically impoverished, and other medically underserved areas (MUAs), as well as research into how to make behavioral interventions pay!
Dr. Vásquez dreams about having major NIH funding or having published numerous papers. Until then, his hobbies include hitting the weight rack at the gym and learning how to sing in harmony. His latest venture, and scheme, in making behavioral interventions pay is to go to law school and specialize in Intellectual Property. He will enroll at UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall of 2009.
At the Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship Training Program (MUSC/VAMC) Dr. Vásquez specialized in Clinical Child Psychology and was awarded the Clinical Excellence Award 2007-2008. He was also a recent recipient of the Young Scientist Award 2009 by the University of Virginia Housestaff Council, sponsored by the UVA Discharge-by-Noon Initiative.
He is married and has two sons, born 2006 and 2008. And, yes, Dr. Vásquez was named after Desi Arnaz of 1950s I Love Lucy fame; aptly so too, because he dances a mean salsa.