A Q&A with Psychological Science’s Ana J. Bridges

Ana J. Bridges, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Psychological Science,
Director of the Diversity Research and Enhanced Access for Minorities (DREAM) Lab

In this conversation, Bridges shares the joy she has for meaningful community-based work, her passion for making mental health care easier to obtain for underserved people, and how awesome a career in science has been for her.

Q: Tell us a little about your research, academic passions and/or role within the college. What excites you about this?

I am an associate professor in the Department of Psychological Science. My research focuses on evidence-based approaches to reducing mental health disparities in minority, immigrant, vulnerable and/or underserved populations. The primary goal of my work has been to understand and mitigate barriers that keep people from seeking needed mental health treatment.

I use a conceptual model of mental health help-seeking to explain how perceived need, beliefs or attitudes, structural barriers, and clinical procedures can interfere with (a) seeking mental health care, and (b) benefitting from treatment.

One important way I have approached this is to bring clinical care to people, rather than expect people to come to me. For instance, I designed mental health programs that are delivered now at the U of A student health center, local primary care clinics, a state prison and a domestic violence shelter. I have also recruited and trained many bilingual students who can provide therapy in Spanish.

Being an immigrant myself, I am excited to use my scientific skills to improve the lives of people in our community, especially the lives of people who are struggling with finances, health, acculturation, social isolation, violence exposure or legal involvement. To be able to make mental health care easier to obtain for underserved people gives me great personal and professional satisfaction.

Q: How long have you been at Fulbright College? What have you enjoyed most about your time here?

I just completed my tenth year at the U of A! There is so much I enjoy about my job – I often say I am the luckiest person I know to have someone pay me to be curious, to teach and excite students, and to do meaningful community-based work.

What I have enjoyed most about my time at the U of A is the strong collegial atmosphere of the department, college and university. My colleagues in Psychological Science are outstanding educators, scientists, and human beings whose dedication to science and education is evident in everything they do.

My students give me joy – I call them my “academic children” because I invest so much time and energy into their training and education. To see my students thrive and succeed gives me the most pleasure of all.

Q: What do you most hope your students remember from their classes and/or interactions with you?

It is important to me to model for my students competence and humility. I am especially deliberate about sharing with students my Latina origin and my love of statistics, with the goal of encouraging others, especially women and people of color, to pursue their doctoral degrees.

I hope I am able to convey to my students how exciting psychological science is, how meaningful applied research can be, and how awesome a career in science has been for me. I also hope my students know how deeply I respect and admire them.

Q: What do you like to do during your time outside of the university?

My favorite pastimes are spending time with my three children, ages 19, 15 and 7, swimming, running, going to amusement parks, seeing theater performances and playing with my dogs.

Q: What’s up next on the horizon for you?

I have lots of plans! I’ll continue growing my research program, of course, but I also hope to write my first book and maybe take a sabbatical soon.