Melba A. Hernandez Tejada, PhD, DHA
Dr. Hernandez Tejada’s work centers on improving access to compassionate, evidence-based mental health care for individuals and communities whose needs are often overlooked or difficult to address through traditional systems of care.
Clinical and Research Focus
Dr. Hernandez Tejada is a clinical psychologist and researcher whose work is driven by a commitment to improving the lives of people affected by trauma, abuse, chronic pain, grief, and social isolation. Much of her research has focused on populations whose mental health needs are often overlooked or difficult to address through traditional care, particularly older adults and Veterans.
Innovation and Access to Care
Her scholarship centers on developing, adapting, and evaluating evidence-based interventions that are both innovative and practical. Over the course of her career, Dr. Hernandez Tejada has contributed to research on elder mistreatment, PTSD, chronic pain, grief, telehealth-delivered psychotherapy, peer-supported treatment, and technology-enhanced mental health care. She has been especially interested in finding ways to reduce barriers to care and improve treatment engagement, whether through home-based telehealth, community partnerships, or integrated interventions that address co-occurring physical and psychological symptoms. Her more recent work includes studies combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with prolonged exposure therapy to improve outcomes for Veterans living with both pain and PTSD.
Leadership and Funded Work
Dr. Hernandez Tejada has served in leading roles on projects funded by the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Justice, the Administration on Aging, and the Office of the Governor of Texas. Her current work includes a Department of Defense-funded clinical trial evaluating a fully remote integrated treatment for pain and PTSD, as well as community-based programs delivering peer-supported telehealth services for older adult survivors of abuse. Across these efforts, she brings together clinical science, community engagement, and a strong belief that evidence-based care should be accessible to those who need it most.
Teaching, Mentorship, and Service
In addition to her research, Dr. Hernandez Tejada is deeply committed to teaching, mentorship, and service. She has mentored psychology interns, students, and junior trainees across a range of research and clinical projects, helping them build skills in scholarship, professionalism, and scientific inquiry. She also contributes actively to institutional and professional service through committee leadership, peer review, and community-facing educational initiatives. At the heart of her work is a desire to create meaningful, scalable, and compassionate approaches to mental health care that improve quality of life for individuals, families, and communities.