Alexandra Restrepo-Henao, MD, MSc, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Arizona Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. She is a physician-scientist and epidemiologist with over 18 years of international experience leading interdisciplinary research on mental health, trauma, violence, and resilience, particularly among children and adolescents exposed to structural adversity.

Dr. Restrepo-Henao integrates advanced epidemiologic methods—including causal inference, mediation analysis, multilevel and longitudinal modeling, and cluster randomized designs—to investigate intergenerational and structural determinants of mental health. Her work bridges methodological rigor with implementation science and community-engaged research, partnering with public health systems and community organizations to design, evaluate, and scale prevention and early intervention programs in low-resource and conflict-affected settings.

She has led and collaborated on federally and internationally funded research, including multi-country studies in Latin America and Europe. Her ongoing projects include INTERGEN (maternal and child health among forcibly displaced populations), CAMINANDO (youth mental health and neighborhood determinants), and Harlem Strong (community-based mental health integration initiatives). As part of hear research, she develop and evaluate mobile solution for mental health such as @Promesa for child development and @Pilas for child mental health in school settings. She is committed to mentoring graduate and doctoral students and building sustainable research partnerships that translate epidemiologic evidence into equitable public health impact.

Dr. Restrepo-Henao is developing the Horizon Lab for Public Mental Health, a research initiative focused on resilience, equity, and implementation science in Arizona and Latin America, fostering partnerships with community organizations, schools, and health systems.

Research Areas

• Mental Health Epidemiology
• Violence Prevention and Resilience
• Child and Adolescent Health
• Causal Inference and Mediation Analysis
• Implementation Science
• Community-Based and Participatory Research
• Global Health

Selected Ongoing Research

• INTERGEN (Co-PI) – Advancing maternal and child health and wellbeing among forcibly displaced populations (2025–2030).
• CAMINANDO (Co-Investigator, NIMH R01) – Neuropsychological development, neighborhood context, diet, and opportunities among children and adolescents (2023–2028).
• Harlem Strong (Co-Investigator, NIMH-funded) – Community-based integration of mental health services and task-sharing models.

Student Opportunities

Dr. Restrepo-Henao welcomes undergraduate and graduate students interested in mental health epidemiology, violence prevention, implementation research, causal inference, mediation analysis, and community-based public health interventions. Students are encouraged to email to schedule a meeting to discuss potential research collaboration.

Education

2023: PhD in Epidemiology, Columbia University, NY, US

2020: MPhil in Epidemiology, Columbia University, NY, US

2007: MSc in Epidemiology, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia

2003: MD and General Surgeon, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia

Selected Publications

Restrepo-Henao, A., Montoya Gomez, N., Contreras, J. O., Cornejo Ochoa, J. W., Castaño, A. M., & Arbelaez Montoya, M. P. (2026). Implementation Assessment of an Integrated Early Childhood Development and Violence Prevention Program: Evidence from Conflict-Affected Antioquia, Colombia (2013-2022). https://doi.org/10.64898/2025.12.30.25343241

Restrepo-Henao A, Susser E, Mauro P, et al. Parent-child communication and parental supervision as potential mediators of the effects of Fast-Track on antisocial behavior. Prevention. In press.

Tenorio A, Sisenop F, Restrepo-Henao A, et al. Commonalities and differences in healthcare workers' perceptions of mental burden in Brazil, Colombia, and Germany during COVID-19: A qualitative cross-country study. Frontiers in Public Health. 2025;13:1542494.

Wang P, Chu L, Ban J, Asare E, Sivakeami M, Restrepo A. The nexus of drought, extreme heat, and intimate partner violence in low- and middle-income countries. JAMA Network Open. 2025.

Petri-Romão P, Mediavilla R, Restrepo-Henao A, et al. Positive appraisal style predicts long-term stress resilience and mediates the effect of a pro-resilience intervention. Nature Communications. 2025.

Czepiel D, McCormack C, da Silva ATC, Restrepo A, et al. Inequality on the frontline: A multi-country study on gender differences in mental health among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health. 2024.

Rhodes T, Ruiz Osorio MP, Maldonado A, Restrepo-Henao A, Lancaster K. Exhausting care: On the collateral realities of caring in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social Science & Medicine. 2024.

Restrepo A, Montoya N, Zuluaga L. Typologies of intimate partner violence against women in five Latin-American countries: A latent class analysis. International Journal of Public Health. 2022.

Mascayano F, Alvarado R, Andrews HF, Baumgartner JN, Burrone MS, Cintra J, Conover S, Dahl CM, Fader KM, Gorroochurn P, Galea S, Jorquera MJ, Lovisi GM, Mitkiewicz de Souza F, Pratt C, Restrepo A, et al. A recovery-oriented intervention for people with psychosis: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Psychiatric Services. 2022.

Moro MF, Calamandrei G, Poli R, Di Mattei V, Perra A, Kurotschka PK, Restrepo A, et al. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers in Italy: Analyzing the role of individual and workplace-level factors in the reopening phase after lockdown. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2022;13:867080.

Mascayano F, van der Ven E, Moro MF, Restrepo A, et al. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers: Study protocol for the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2022;57:633–645.

Cerdá M, Morenoff JD, Hansen B, Duque LF, Restrepo A, Diez-Roux AV. Reducing violence by transforming neighborhoods: A natural experiment in Medellín, Colombia. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2012.

Courses

• EPI 573A Introductory Epidemiology
• Advanced Epidemiologic Methods (Fall)
• Mental Health Research (Fall)