CARE Spanish-speaking Interview Team

Alessia Johns, PhD, ABPP

I am a board certified pediatric psychologist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in the Division of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery and the University of Southern California (USC) University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Since 2007, I have focused on craniofacial diagnoses and represent psychology on several multidisciplinary teams, including Craniofacial, Craniosynostosis, Facial Paralysis, and Orthognathic Surgery. My work includes providing individual, family, and group therapy and assessment in English and Spanish and supervise psychology post-doctoral fellows. I serve as a co-editor for the Behavioral Sciences section of The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal. I am honored to collaborate on multiple research projects, including several studies with children with craniofacial microsomia and their families.

Maria Benitez-Cortez

I am a clinical research coordinator recruitment specialist for Seattle Children's Research Coordinator Core and Research Integration Hub. As a certified bilingual staff member, I help recruit Spanish-speaking participants and help increase diverse participation and access in various studies. The studies I've helped with range from various different topics which also include clinical trials and qualitative studies.

Previous CARE Team Members

Thank you for your past contributions to the CARE Study!

Sandra Avila, PsyD

I am a Pediatric Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the University of Southern California (USC). I was born in Sinaloa and was raised around Los Angeles. I have experience in individual, family, and group assessment and therapy with individuals with medical diagnoses and their families. My research interests include mental health in Latino populations and interventions in Spanish.