People Detail

Junius J. Gonzales, M.D., MBA

Dean and Professor

	E-mail:	jgonzales@bcs.usf.edu
	Phone:	813-974-1990
	Office:	MHC 1110

Education

2005    M.B.A.    Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland

1986    M.D.       University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

1980    A.B.        Brown University

Research Interests

The interaction between behavioral and primary healthcare

Implementation of behavioral health research findings and protocols in community treatment settings

Organizational transformation in behavioral health research and services

Specialized treatment protocols for ethnic minorities and other underserved populations

Biography

Dr. Junius J. Gonzales is Dean of the College of Behavioral & Community Sciences (BCS) and Executive Director of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida (USF). Under his direction and leadership, the newly created BCS secured $39 million in external funding in FY 2008-09, second only to the College of Medicine at USF. With his unique combination of medical training—including psychiatric residencies at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School—and management acumen honed by wide-ranging work for top-tier public and private health organizations, Dr. Gonzales has dedicated the past 18 years to developing, overseeing and nurturing cutting-edge research, training, and evaluation projects. His administrative vision centers on transforming how behavioral health research is conducted and translated in real world settings. This goal is met by partnering with large and diverse organizations and stakeholder groups. His expertise in the healthcare arena was recently utilized by the White House transition team in formulating priorities and policies for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

From his undergraduate education at Brown University to his groundbreaking six-year tenure at the National Institute of Mental Health to his current role as the dynamic leader of an academic entity producing world-class research and serving over 2,200 students, Dr. Gonzales has remained committed to addressing the critical needs of individuals suffering with psychiatric illnesses. He recognizes the vital connection between research, practice, education and policy to create lasting, widespread improvement. Dr. Gonzales is currently the Principal Investigator on a $1.24 million research grant from the CDC to reduce healthcare disparities among Latinos with co-occurring depression and chronic medical conditions. He is also PI on a $285,000 NIH grant to develop a three-year integrated, interdisciplinary research conference series. In addition, he leads two university-wide initiatives that exemplify his commitment to implementing state-of-the-art research findings beyond the walls of academia: the Community-Based Participatory Research group and the Implementation Science group.

Throughout his highly successful career, including leadership positions with NIMH and the Abt Associates research firm, Dr. Gonzales has produced and promoted cutting-edge research methodologies and implementation strategies to address real world needs and problems. For example, while at NIMH he spearheaded innovative funding mechanisms to swiftly translate research protocols into clinical and community settings. These pioneering advances were later adopted across all agencies at the National Institutes of Health. In addition to his many executive and research duties at USF, Dr. Gonzales continues to publish in leading academic journals and serve on the editorial board of the journal Health Services Research. The son of poor immigrants, Dr. Gonzales is always cognizant of the needs of the less fortunate in society. He fulfills this deep social commitment through numerous philanthropic endeavors and a professional career devoted to making cost-effective, evidence-based behavioral treatment available for all.

Recent Publications

Gonzales, J, Sasser-Papadopoulos, A, Mental Health Disparities, chapter in Mental Health Services ed. by Levin B, Hennessy K, Petrila J, Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2010

Pine M, Jordan H, Elixhauser A, Fry D, Hoaglin D, Jones B, Meiban R, Warner D, Coleman K, Gonzales, J., Modifying ICD-9-CM coding of secondary diagnoses to improve risk-adjustment of inpatient mortality rates. Medical Decision Making 29: 69-81, Jan – Feb 2009

Sacks S, Chandler R, Gonzales J, Responding to the Challenges of Co-Occurring Disorders, Journal Substance Abuse Treatment, 34: 139-146, 2008

Pine M, Jordan H, Elixhauser A, Fry D, Hoaglin D, Jones B, Meiban R, Warner D, Deitz D, Coleman K, Gonzales, J., Cost Effective Enhancement of Claims Data To Improve Patient Safety, Journal of Patient Safety 2007 3: 82-90

Pine M, Jordan H, Elixhauser A, Fry D, Hoaglin D, Jones B, Memiban R, Warner D, Gonzales, J., Enhancement of Claims Data to Improve Risk-Adjustment of Hospital Mortality, Journal of the American Medical Association 297:71-76. 2007.

Gonzales, J., Moten, M. Reflections on ‘Community Partnered’ Research: Driving Sensemaking, Managing Knowledge, and Moving Mental Health Care to New Heights, Ethnicity and Disease, Volume 16, Winter 2006, p S1 156-158

Gonzales, J., Insel T, The Conundrum of Co-occurring Mental and Substance Use Disorders: Opportunities for Research. Biol Psychiatry. 2004 Nov 15;56 (10):723-5.