John Sauceda, PhD, MS

Assistant Professor

My research is aimed at improving mental health outcomes and reducing health disparities among Latino/a communities impacted by HIV. My research is based on the principles of sound measurement and assessment, especially of psychological and cultural constructs in English and Spanish. My current research focuses broadly on improving HIV care engagement among English and Spanish-speaking Latinos living with HIV, designing an adaptive mHealth intervention for depression to improve engagement, and optimizing PrEP messaging for uptake among Spanish-speaking trans Latina women.

I am also committed to serving as a mentor to bilingual undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and medical students who are interested in health disparities and mental health intervention research as ways to serve the Latino/a community.
Education
Fellowship, 2016 - Medicine - Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco
MSc in Global Health Sciences, 2014 - Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
PhD in Health Psychology, 2013 - Department of Psychology, University of Texas at El Paso
Quantitative Methods, 2013 - Department of Psychology, University of Texas at El Paso
MA in Clinical Psychology, 2010 - Department of Psychology, University of Texas at El Paso
Honors and Awards
  • Early Career Research Excellence Award - Behavioral Science, Gladstone-CFAR, 2019
  • LRP Award for Health Disparities Research, NIH/NIMHD, 2018-2020
  • LRP Award for Health Disparities Research, NIH/NIMHD, 2014-2016
Publications
  1. A Dyadic Investigation of Relationship Dynamics and Depressive Symptoms in HIV-Affected Couples in Malawi.
  2. Internalized HIV Stigma is Associated with Concurrent Viremia and Poor Retention in a Cohort of U.S. Patients in HIV Care
  3. Detecting Disengagement from HIV Care Before It's Too Late: Development and Preliminary Validation of a Novel Index of Engagement in HIV Care.
  4. From Theory to Application: A Description of Transnationalism in Culturally-Appropriate HIV Interventions of Outreach, Access, and Retention Among Latino/a Populations.
  5. The influence of the 'good' patient ideal on engagement in HIV care.
  6. Cognitive-affective depressive symptoms and substance use among Latino and non-Latino White patients in HIV care: an analysis of the CFAR network of integrated clinical systems cohort.
  7. If someone cares about you, you are more apt to come around: improving HIV care engagement by strengthening the patient-provider relationship.
  8. An update on the Barriers to Adherence and a Definition of Self-Report Non-adherence Given Advancements in Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).
  9. Acculturation, family cohesion, and mental health among Latinos living with HIV on the U.S.-Mexico border.
  10. Factors Associated with Sexual Risk of HIV Transmission Among HIV-Positive Latino Men Who have Sex with Men on the U.S.-México Border.
  11. Nonadherence as 4-day Antiretroviral Therapy Interruptions: Do Depression and Race/Ethnicity Matter as Much in the Modern Antiretroviral Therapy Era?
  12. Partner Reports of HIV Viral Suppression Predict Sexual Behavior in Serodiscordant Male Couples.
  13. Assessing Collectivism in Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and African American Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Psychometric Evaluation.
  14. Childhood sexual abuse and depression in Latino men who have sex with men: Does resilience protect against nonadherence to antiretroviral therapy?
  15. A preliminary RCT of CBT-AD for adherence and depression among HIV-positive Latinos on the U.S.-Mexico border: the Nuevo Día study.
  16. Stigma, Discrimination, and HIV/AIDS: A Cross-Cultural Perspective
  17. Guide to Psychological Assessment with Hispanics
  18. Medication literacy in Spanish and English: psychometric evaluation of a new assessment tool.
  19. The role of prospective memory in medication adherence: a review of an emerging literature.