Bio

Michelle Gimenez, MA, is a Social Science Researcher for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Stanford’s School of Medicine. Her multidisciplinary research experience includes centering intersectionality qualitative research practices in the subject matters of public health, intimate partner violence, and mental health help-seeking. Her current research focus on community-based participatory research, raising awareness of intimate partner violence within under-resourced communities, and investing the ways to increase mental health service use and connection amongst the Latinx community.

Current Role at Stanford

Social Science Researcher
School of Medicine
Emergency Department

Supervisors

Honors & Awards

  • Rhonda McClinton-Brown Community-Engaged Leader Staff Award, Stanford Medicine, Office of Community Engagement & Office of Faculty Development & Diversity (2023)

Contact

  • Work
    mgimenez@stanford.edu
    University - Staff Department: Emergency Medicine - Adult Clinical/Academic Position: Social Science Research Professional 2

Additional Info

Links

All Publications

  • Mental health care-seeking and barriers: a cross-sectional study of an urban Latinx community. BMC public health Newberry, J. A., Gimenez, M. A., Gunturkun, F., Villa, E., Maldonado, M., Gonzalez, D., Garcia, G., Espinosa, P. R., Hedlin, H., Kaysen, D. 2024; 24 (1): 3091

    Abstract

    The Latinx community faces an increasing amount of mental health challenges and disparities in care. While the contributing factors are complex, there are likely potential barriers related to connecting with mental health support and accessing care that can be addressed.To investigate barriers in connecting to mental health care, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of mental health service use and barriers in an urban community with a primarily Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity using a modified random walk approach for door-to-door data collection with a two-cluster sampling frame. Survey included questions on socio-demographic, mental health status, desire and attempt to seek care, and the Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation. Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) identified impactful barriers and demographic characteristics. Our primary outcome was the number of respondents who saw a professional in the past 12 months and the key determinants that enabled their successful connection. Secondary outcomes were people with poor mental health who had wanted or tried to seek any source of mental health support.Of the 1004 respondents enrolled, 70.5% were foreign born; 63.4% were women. In the past 12 months, 23.8% of respondents wanted to connect with mental health care; 15.5% tried to connect, and only 11.7% successfully connected to mental health services. The two most cited barriers had the highest SHAP values: concerns about treatments available (65%) and financial costs (62.7%). Additional barriers with high SHAP values: being seen as weak and having no one to help them find care. Of demographic characteristics, age had the highest SHAP values.In a community with a high density of Latinx immigrants, just under half of respondents wanting mental health care successfully connected. Perceived informational, financial, and stigma-related barriers impacted the likelihood to connect with mental health care. These factors should be considered when designing programs and interventions to improve mental health care access and services in the Latinx community.

    View details for DOI 10.1186/s12889-024-20533-6

    View details for PubMedID 39516848

    View details for PubMedCentralID 10413745

  • The Role of Emergency Medicine in Intimate Partner Violence: A Scoping Review of Screening, Survivor Resources, and Barriers. Trauma, violence & abuse Ziola, E. A., Gimenez, M. A., Stevenson, A. P., Newberry, J. A. 2024: 15248380241265383

    Abstract

    At the front line of our medical system and population health, emergency medicine (EM) settings serve as a commonly perceived place for safety. Survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) may present to the emergency department (ED) with injuries, illness, or specifically to seek help for IPV. In 2018, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended screening women of reproductive age for IPV across all healthcare settings. Our objective was to examine the application of IPV interventions, resource allocation, and persistent barriers for screening within the EM setting following the USPSTF recommendation. This scoping review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). Our initial search of two major databases, PubMed and CINAHL, found 259 articles. After screening for inclusion and exclusion criteria, 15 articles met the full study criteria. Inconsistencies in screening women for IPV in EM are still prevalent. No study used the same validated IPV screening tool and four did not specify the tool. Significant barriers to screening included time constraints, patient acuity, language barriers, staff education, and inability to connect patients to resources. There is a need for more consistent IPV screening in the EM setting, which may include the development of a standardized, inclusive screening tool, as well as additional research and sharing of best practices. Advancement of IPV identification must go beyond a recommendation with greater awareness and education changes at all levels: personal, institutional, and policy.

    View details for DOI 10.1177/15248380241265383

    View details for PubMedID 39049479

https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9870-0084