Juan Lorenzo Benavides

Juan Lorenzo Benavides is a dedicated Ph.D. student in Social Welfare at The Ohio State University, with an overarching research interest in understanding how health services and providers can be leveraged to help promote resilience in minoritized youth who have experienced abuse and neglect. Juan brings a wealth of academic and professional experience in social work and mental health to his studies. He earned his Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin in 2013, followed by a Master of Social Work in Mental Health and Healthcare Delivery/Management Certification Track from Washington University in St. Louis in 2016.

Juan’s research encompasses early childhood resilience, child welfare systems, mental health, and trauma. He employs a variety of research methods, such as qualitative methods, longitudinal analysis, and structural equation modeling. Throughout his academic career, Juan has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and presentations. He has been the recipient of several scholarships and grants, including the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the Teach for America and Danforth Scholarship. In addition to his academic pursuits, Juan actively participates in conferences and symposiums, sharing his expertise on resilience, child welfare, and mental health.

Currently, he also serves as a Pediatric Emergency Room Social Worker at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where he evaluates psychosocial concomitants of illness and trauma, provides social work services, and liaises with local, state, and federal services.

Before his current role, Juan worked as a Service Improvement Consultant at Texas Children’s Pediatrics, an Inpatient Trauma Social Worker and Hospice Social Worker Intern at The Mayo Clinic, and a Social Worker at Texas Children’s Hospital. In these positions, he honed his skills in patient-centered interventions, resource allocation, crisis planning, mental health screening, and child and adult protective services referrals.

Through his academic and professional pursuits, Juan Lorenzo Benavides has demonstrated a strong commitment to social work and child welfare advocacy, as well as a passion for creating meaningful impact in the field.