Photo by Matt Schorr
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Victoria Villalta-Gil, PhD chose a career in psychological sciences at the age of 18.
“I found it, from a very innocent perspective, appealing and interesting,” she recalled. “Once I got into the university and started studying, I rapidly went through a research track. I enjoyed it. I liked it. It matched how I approached problems.”
Villalta-Gil recently joined the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance (MVA) team as a Research Specialist Senior. She will play a key role in MVA research projects and efforts such as the Recruitment Innovation Centers Supplement, developing recruitment strategies to increase participation of minorities in clinical trials.
“The mission comes very naturally to my worldview,” Villalta-Gil commented. “I’m passionate about researching social outcomes and how people live in society. What’s making vulnerable populations have difficulty in their everyday life? That’s what I wanted to know from the beginning, and that’s still what I want to know.”
Before joining the MVA, Villalta-Gil worked in the Psychological Sciences Department at Vanderbilt University. She became a postdoc scholar in a project aimed at identifying the neuro-functional and behavioral mechanisms found in various mental disorders.
Prior to that, she was involved in a research team within a psychiatric hospital setting in Spain. She worked with people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and studied the determinants that cause social disability in them.
Villalta-Gil, a native of Spain, studied psychology at the Universitat Ramon Llull in Barcelona, earning her Masters Degree in adult population psychopathology and her PhD in psychology research.
“And I have another Masters Degree,” she added with a grin, “studying behavior disorders in pets.”
Villalta-Gil saw the MVA as an opportunity to focus her efforts on her initial research interests: social determinants and outcomes. “When I saw this opportunity, I thought it was a great way to readdress my career and my original intent, what I wanted from the beginning,” she said.
“I will feel very satisfied if I get involved enough into a project that I can feel I have played an important role in it, and that the results of which have been useful for the community,” she added. “And that my efforts have had a translation from research to the community.”
About the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance
Founded in 1999, the Alliance bridges the institutions of Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Its mission is to enrich learning and advance clinical research in three primary areas -- community engagement, interprofessional education and research -- by developing and supporting mutually beneficial partnerships between Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the communities they serve. Through community engagement, the Alliance serves a large community of stakeholders including surrounding universities and colleges, community organizations, faith-based outlets and community health centers. Its interprofessional education enhances students' interdisciplinary understanding and improves patient outcomes through integrated care. The research conducted provides access to experienced grant writers and materials supporting the grant application process and facilitates grant-writing workshops.