Anya Urcuyo, M.S.

Professional Biography

Anya Elena Urcuyo is a doctoral student in the Clinical Science Ph.D. program and a member of the Mental health Interventions and Novel Therapeutics (MINT) Lab at Florida International University. Anya graduated with her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University where she created her own major entitled “Making Healthy Children: Social Dimensions of Child Development”, with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Studies. Upon graduation, Anya worked at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Center for Autism and the Developing Brain. Prior to joining MINT, she worked as a Research Coordinator at the Center for Early Childhood Health and Development (CEHD) at NYU Langone Medical Center. Among other projects, she coordinated a study that assessed the impact of the current immigration climate on PreK-3rd grade Latine children and their families.

Anya’s research interests include addressing systemic accessibility barriers to mental health services for Spanish-speaking Latine families and, more broadly, for historically marginalized communities. She is most interested in examining how acute anxiety, stress, and trauma intersect with immigration experiences in the U.S. She aims to center culture, race, and language, in conjunction with community feedback in developing relevant evidence-based treatment modalities.

Contact: aurcuyo@fiu.edu

Publications

Urcuyo, A.E., Comer., J.S., Chavira, D., de Dios, M., Zvolensky, M.J. & Cano, M.A. (in press). Self-efficacy moderates the association between adverse childhood experiences and generalized anxiety symptoms among Latine college students. Journal of Latinx Psychology.

Yee, S., Cheng, S., Urcuyo, A.E., Allen, T., Pandya, A., Huang, K. (under review). Integrating Evidence Based Practice Guidelines Using the Collaborative Care Model to Promote Child Development Screenings: Barriers & Strategies. Journal for Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved. 

Conroy, K., Obee, A., Schiavone, E., Urcuyo, A.E., Cramer, E., Comer, J. S., Frazier, S.L. (under review). Teachers as first responders in marginalized, urban communities: Stress and coping during unprecedented times for public education. Children and Youth Services Review.  

Conroy, K., Urcuyo, A.E., Schiavone, E., Obee, A., Frazier, S.L., Cramer, E., Comer, J. S., (under review). Understanding the nature of anxiety in urban and elementary schools serving ethnically/racially minoritized youth. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.

Urcuyo, A.E., Conroy, K., Sanchez, A.L., Silva, K., Furr, J.M., Bagner, D., & Comer, J.S. (2023). A psychometric evaluation of the Abbreviated Multidimensional Acculturation Scale: A treatment-seeking sample of first-generation immigrants. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 1-13.

Freitag, G.F., Urcuyo, A.E., & Comer, J.S. (2022). Moving beyond the clinic: Leveraging telehealth strategies to address youth mental health challenges. Advances in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. 

Barajas-Gonzalez, R.G., Torres, H.L., Urcuyo, A., Salamanca, E., Santos, M., & Pagán, O. (2022). “You’re part of some hope and then you fall into despair”: A mixed-method study of the impact of the 2016 Presidential election on the work and well-being of educators and school-based mental health professionals in Latinx immigrant communities. Journal of Latinos and Education. 10.1080/15348431.2022.2153846

Huang K., Kumar, M., Cheng, S., Urcuyo, A.E., & Macharia., P.M. (2022). Applying Technology to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence and Promote Sexual and Reproductive Health for Adolescents in Low and Middle-Income Countries: Digital Health Strategies Synthesis from an umbrella review. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 1-27.

Barajas-Gonzalez, R.G., Torres, H.L., Urcuyo, A., Salamanca, E., & Kourousias, L. (2022). Racialization, discrimination, and depression: A mixed-method study of the impact of an anti-immigrant climate on Latina immigrant mothers and their children. SSM-Mental Health, 10084.

Barajas-Gonzalez, R. G., Ursache, A., Kamboukos, D., Huang, K.-Y., Dawson-McClure, S., Urcuyo, A., Huang, T. J. J., & Brotman, L. M. (2021). Parental Perceived Immigration Threat and Children’s Mental Health, Self-Regulation and Executive Functioning in Pre-Kindergarten. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ort0000591

Posters & Presentations

Menses, A., Aghedo, I., Urcuyo, A.E., Comer, J.S. (2024). Racial Differences in Selective Mutism Severity Ratings Prior to and During COVID-19. Poster presented at Florida International University Annual STEM Undergraduate Research Symposium Conference, Miami, Fl.

Barnes, E.D., Green, J.G., Comer, J., Urcuyo, A., Cortina, J., Maldonado-Reis, T. Gurwitch, R. (2024, Feb. 14-17). Efficacy for Helping Youth and Readiness to Respond Post-Disaster. Paper presented at National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA. 

Barnes, E.D., Brown, M., Urcuyo, A., Reis-Maldonado, T., Cortina, J., Gurwitch, R., Green, J.G., Comer, J. (2023, Nov. 1-4). Community Trainings in Evidence-Based Supports for Youth Following Disaster. In Supporting Children and Youth through Cross-Sector Implementation of Trauma-Informed Practices. Symposium conducted at International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies 39th Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA.

Urcuyo, A.E., Conroy, K., Comer, J.S. (2023, October) Teacher’s perceptions of youth’s immigration related stress and separation anxiety. Poster presented at the National Latinx Psychological Association Conference, Chicago, IL.

Urcuyo, A.E., Comer, J.S., Chavira, D., Cano, M.A. (2023, August). Self-efficacy moderates the impact of ACEs on anxiety in Latine emerging adults. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Washington, D.C.

Mohammad, R., Roig, J., Urcuyo, A.E., Comer, J.S. (2023, April). Reported Differences in Childhood Anxiety Through Race and Ethnicity. Poster presented at the Florida International University Undergraduate Research Conference 2023, Miami, FL.

Urcuyo, A.E., Conroy, K., Sanchez, A.L., Silva, K., Furr, J.M., Bagner, D., Comer, J.S. (2022, November). Psychometric Evaluation of the Abbreviated Multidimensional Acculturation Scale in a Treatment-Seeking Sample of First-Generation Immigrants. Poster presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 56th Annual Convention, New York, NY.

Barajas-Gonzalez., R.G., Urcuyo, A., Salamanca, E., & Linares-Torres, H. (2021, April). Latina immigrant mothers experiencing the immigration climate: Helpful and harmful school-based interactions and communication. In R. Thomas (Chair), Symposium presented at the Society for Research in Child Development. Virtual.

Urcuyo, A., Linares-Torres, H., Gelb, G., Huang, T., Barajas-Gonzalez., R.G. (2019, October). NYC’s Immigration Climate and Association with Immigrant Mothers’ Report of Well-being and Child Well-Being: Insights from the field. Poster presented at the NYU Langone Health Disparities Symposium, New York, NY.

Huang, K., Mendelsohn, A., Sharif, Iman., Ibanez-Gomez, L., Mann, D., Cheng, S., Tomopolus, S., Egger, H., Li-Law, R., Urcuyo, A., Adhikari, S., Hopkins, K., McReynolds, L. (2019, May). Utilizing Health Information to Enhance Integration of Behavioral Health Evidence-Based Interventions into Routine Pediatric Clinical Settings. Poster presented at the annual Federally Healthy Center Community Research Exchange, New York, NY.

 Yee, S., Huang, K., Cheng, S., Urcuyo, A. (2016, December). Understanding the Barriers and Facilitating Factors Influencing the Adoption of Evidence Based Practices to Promote Child Mental Health: Case Study of Three Community Health Centers Serving Low Income Immigrant Populations in New York City. Poster presented at the 9th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissetmination and Implementation, Washington, D.C.