Jordan Aquino (he/him), a first-year PhD student in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health and graduate assistant for the UMD-PRC, focuses on understanding factors that impact mental and sexual health among LGBTQ+ individuals. In particular, Jordan is interested in the design and implementation of interventions that aim to reduce stigma, suicide, substance use and HIV prevalence among LGBTQ+ people.
Before coming to the University of Maryland, Jordan studied health promotion and disease prevention at California State University. His past research has revolved primarily around chronic pain and fibromyalgia management among older adults, as well as resources for symptom management and social supports. Jordan’s most recent publication in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship examines the impact of affect balance on cognitive and physical functioning in older adults.
In his role at the UMD-PRC, Jordan is principally involved with the Virtual Simulated Client (VSC) project, led by UMD-PRC investigators Drs. Shin, Aparicio and Smith Bynum. The project assesses the effectiveness of the UMD-PRC's LGBTQ+ cultural competency training, the Sexual and Gender Diversity Learning Community (SGLDC), with a simulated, virtual mental health assessment. Jordan assists in evaluating mental health provider performance during their interactions with a simulated LGBTQ+ client via an observation-based provider performance assessment. In addition to running assessments for the VSC project, Jordan conducts interviews with LGBTQ+ clients and assists in developing competencies for mental health clinicians working specifically with LGBTQ+ people.
When asked what he is most looking forward to at the UMD-PRC, Jordan expresses excitement for the “transition from the intervention phase of our PRC CORE research project to the translation and dissemination phase.” The VSC experience itself has the capacity to act beyond an assessment; it can be a powerful educational tool for mental health providers, giving them important experience and feedback on how to provide affirming care to LGBTQ+ clients. Jordan exclaims, “I am particularly excited to work closely with our incoming Clinical Assistant Professor to bring our virtual simulated client project and organizational and mental health therapist assessment tools online and available for other human service organizations and mental health therapists to access.” With this professor’s expertise in LGBTQ+ training, Jordan anticipates that the SGDLC program will become more accessible to a wider audience, supporting an increase in mental healthcare treatment quality for LGBTQ+ people.
Jordan reflects on his experience at the UMD-PRC: “As a sexual and racial minority who struggled to receive competent mental health services and through formal and informal discussions with PRC team members, my involvement with various projects at the PRC, and interactions with our study participants, I have come to really appreciate and am grateful for the work that is being done at the UMD-PRC.” He highlights the importance of inclusive language in mental health care, noting, “I’ve learned that it takes time, practice for each of us to adapt and adopt new language that is inclusive and affirming for LGBTQ+ people [and] how important it is to give a voice to marginalized communities.” Lastly, he comments on how much he values the “passion, drive, and commitment the PRC faculty, staff, and community partners have in improving the quality of lives for LGBTQ+ people.”