Leopoldo J. Cabassa

Leopoldo J. Cabassa, MSW, Ph.D. is a Puerto Rican social worker. He is the Co-Director of the Center for Mental Health Services Research at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. His research centers on examining physical and mental health inequities in historically marginalized racial and ethnic populations with serious mental illness (SMI; e.g., schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder). His work blends quantitative and qualitative methods, health disparities research, community engagement, intervention research, and implementation science. His research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the New York State Office of Mental Health, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, SAMHSA, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Cabassa is a fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research and the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare. His scholarship is making significant contributions in three areas: improving depression literacy and reducing stigma toward mental illness in the Latino community; 2) reducing physical health inequities in racial/ethnic minoritized and historically marginalized communities with SMI; and 3) improving the health and well-being of young adults experiencing first-episode psychosis.

Leopoldo J. Cabassa

Areas of Focus:

  • Racial/ethnic disparities in health and mental health care
  • Implementation science
  • Integration of physical and mental health services
  • Mental health services