By Vincent Lim
Maria Aranda, associate professor at the USC School of Social Work and core faculty of the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging, was presented the California Elder Mental Health and Aging Coalition’s Older Adult Leadership and Advocacy Award at the California Association of Area Agencies on Aging (C4A) annual meeting and allied conference for her efforts to improve the mental health and well-being of aging Latinos in the state.
“I realize that this type of recognition…is really meant for everyone here,” Aranda said.
She has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on a range of behavioral trials and epidemiological surveys and is perhaps best known for her work on problem-solving therapy as a treatment for depression with older and middle-aged Latinos. However, upon accepting the honor, she reflected back to the early years of her career as a licensed clinical social worker.
“I dedicate this award to a group of older adults that I worked with in the early 1980s,” Aranda said. “The group was called Grupo Siempre Viva (Always Alive Group).”