Faculty and Staff | Texas Tech Health El Paso (2024)

Melanie Olivas Longhurst, Ph.D., M.Ed.

Assistant Professor
Psychology Training Director

Dr. Melanie Longhurst is an assistant professor, licensed clinical psychologist, and psychology training director in the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Longhurst is also the site training director for the El Paso Psychology Internship Consortium (EPPIC).

Dr. Melanie Longhurst is an assistant professor, licensed clinical psychologist, and psychology training director at TTUHSC El Paso. She holds an M.Ed. in counseling from the University of Texas at El Paso. She completed a pre-doctoral internship and a post-doctoral fellowship in primary care/health psychology at the Southern Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) in San Antonio. She joined the TTUHSC El Paso Department of Psychiatry faculty in 2018. Her primary clinical and research interests include the intersection of physical health and mental health concerns, integrated care, wellness, and multicultural issues, particularly those impacting Mexicans/Mexican Americans. She has a strong interest in training future clinicians in the provision of services to underserved populations, such as the people of her hometown of El Paso. Her long-term career goals include expanding the presence of primary care behavioral health integration services and services for oncology patients in the El Paso community and building a body of research examining the impact of integrated care and wellness interventions.

Ayanna A. Johnson, Ph.D., NCSP

Instructor, Psychology

Dr. Ayanna Johnson is an instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and is a child and adolescent psychologist. She is involved in providing teaching experiences for the psychology and psychiatric trainees. Dr. Johnson is involved with the Texas Child Mental Health Consortium on several projects including the Child Psychiatric Access Network (CPAN) and Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT).

Dr. Johnson is originally from Kansas City, Missouri, but fell in love with the El Paso area when her family moved in 2020. She received a Ph.D. in school psychology with an emphasis in pediatric psychology from Howard University. She completed a pre-doctoral internship at Loudoun County Public School District in Ashburn, Virginia. Also, Dr. Johnson finished her fellowship program in hematology and oncology/health psychology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. She joined the TTUHSC El Paso Department of Psychiatry faculty in 2023. Her primary clinical and research interests include the intersection between chronic health conditions and mental health concerns among children and adolescents, social justice issues, and providing culturally relevant assessments and services. She has a strong interest in examining the social determinants of health behaviors among childhood cancer patients and effective transitions from hospitals to schools for children with medically complex health conditions. Her long-term career goals include expanding her research to examine the longitudinal impact between health behaviors and mental health within children and to pursue community outreach by bridging the gap between academia research around mental health to the community through workshops and educational forums. Dr. Johnson is a plant-based foodie and enjoys experimenting with new vegan dishes! She enjoys traveling, fitness, and spending quality time with loved ones.

Monica De La Torre, M.A., LPC

Sr. Mental Health Clinician

EAP Director

Monica De La Torre is the senior mental health clinician in the Psychology Division working in psychotherapy, the Activ8 program, and is the director of the Employee Assistance Program.

Katherine Reynolds, CMA

Certified Medical Assistant

katherine.reynolds@ttuhsc.edu

915-215-4757

Danielle Guerrero, B.A.

Program Coordinator

danielle.i.guerrero@ttuhsc.edu

915-215-4118