Associate Dean of Doctoral Education

qwalton2@central.uh.edu 
Room: Social Work Building
Phone: (713) 743-8075

Current Curriculum Vitae

Personal Statement

Dr. Walton joined the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work in July 2017 as an assistant professor.

Dr. Walton received her PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams College of Social Work, where her research focused on depression experiences and wellness among middle class African American women. She holds a master of arts degree in social service administration from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan.

In June 2017, Dr. Walton completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Center for Health Services and Society in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles. As a post-doctoral fellow, she conducted research on a PCORI-funded project to develop and test a stakeholder-designed intervention to improve MHC access for children and families of color in Los Angeles County. Through an academic-community partnership and its engaged stakeholders, she examined changes in parent experiences and empowerment and provider-clinician communication, coordination, and collaboration during the referral, post-referral, treatment, and transfer processes related to mental health clinic referrals at a multi-site federally qualified health center, Northeast Valley Health Clinic (NEVHC).

Dr. Walton is also a licensed clinical social worker and has over 10 years of practice experience in school social work, child welfare, and with community based organizations providing in-home individual and family therapy and parent coaching services to children and families involved with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). In her role as a therapist with DCFS, she was challenged to think critically about the ways in which race, class, gender, and discrimination impact mental health for African American women across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and with various mental health conditions such as depression. Working with the children and families involved with DCFS has informed her research by pushing her to think about identifying alternative treatment approaches, translating the best scientific evidence into the best clinical practice, and supporting African American women’s access to culturally appropriate mental health services. Her practice and research are grounded in the tenants of social justice in which she places a premium on understanding the intersection of race, class, gender, context and environment on mental health.

Building on her practice experience, dissertation and post-doctoral fellowship training, Dr. Walton’s research focuses on four areas: 1) Mental health and mental health disparities among African American women across the life course; 2) socioeconomic status (SES) as a social determinant of mental health; 3) The African American middle-class; and 4) mental well-being and wellness for African American women. The aim of her research is to develop an innovative culturally sensitive intervention designed to improve the mental health of African American women from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and across the life course.

Education

BA, Psychology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (1999)

MA, Social Service Administration, University of Chicago (2004)

PhD, Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago (2016) 

Post-Doctoral Training

Fellowship, Center for Health Services and Society, University of California-Los Angeles (2016-2017)

Licenses & Certifications

2016- Present Licensed Clinical Social Work (Illinois) #149.018655

Courses Taught

• Coming soon

Research Interests

• Mental health and mental health disparities among Black women across the life course. 
• SES as a social determinant of mental health 
• The Black middle class
• Black women's wellness and well-being 
• Life course
• Race, class, and gender
• Qualitative research

Publications

Click here to view current Curriculum Vitae with selected publications.