UTRGV psychology professor recognized by peers

Alfonso Mercado, an associate professor of clinical psychology at UTRGV, has been named Psychologist of the Year by the Texas Psychological Association.

In the last couple of years, Mercado has focused on trauma and health within the immigrant population. He also manages the UTRGV Multicultural Clinical Lab along with his students. They conduct community research where they work with immigrants and intellectually disabled populations to collect data.

“It’s a great feeling, you know, being awarded … because it’s something that my colleagues at the Texas Psychological Association nominated me for,” Mercado said. “It was really rewarding to see that my kind of work that I am doing here in the Rio Grande Valley is being recognized by psychology leaders in the state.”

He was recognized during the 2019 Texas Psychology Association Awards Ceremony Nov. 1 in San Antonio.

Mercado was also elected Texas Psychology Association president and will begin his four-year commitment Jan. 1, 2020.

His presidential initiatives will focus on providing mental health care to rural areas and underserved communities in Texas.

UTRGV College of Liberal Arts Dean Walter Diaz praised Mercado.

“I think it’s a great accomplishment,” Diaz said. “It shows that he is engaged … with the community. He’s always been active with mental health providers in the region. He is an excellent scholar. He is everything that we are looking for and what we value.”

He also hopes Mercado’s achievement will motivate students to be proud of their department.

“It shows that they can be proud of where they are from, their department, proud of the degree they are going to get,” Diaz said. “It’s important to know that you can look anyone in the eye and say, ‘I’ve been trained by some of the best people in the field,’ and that’s a great thing to be able to say.”

Gema Cruz, a UTRGV psychology senior, said she is excited to have a recognized professor working in the psychology department. She hopes to learn from Mercado later on in her academic career.

“Here in the Valley, people tend to miss on mental health,” Cruz said. “They think it’s not a really big issue. I feel like his research would definitely make a huge difference in our culture, in our society. It will be lovely to be able to speak with him.”