Alexia DeLeon, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and Program Director at Lewis & Clark College for the Professional Mental Health--Addictions Specialization program. She was the founding director of Lewis & Clark’s Latino Problem Gambling Services program that launched in 2017 and served over 75 clients in its first year of operation. She has been involved in providing treatment for those impacted by addiction and recovery for many years. Her research interests include the intersection of communities of color and addictions counseling, more specifically, Latinx families impacted by addiction and recovery, and the experiences of Latina clinical supervisors. Her current clinical work includes working with those impacted by addiction and gambling related issues within Latinx and recovery communities. Dr. DeLeon maintains a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion for Latinx communities seeking mental health services. She believes in healing the soul wound of her ancestors for the next generation by practicing cultural humility and trauma-informed counseling, along with other non-Western healing modalities for indigenous communities. Her clinical work and passion for Latinx wellness aims to transform and heal the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wounds of her ancestors by reconnecting with indigenous healing practices toward a road of recovery, collective empowerment and liberation. He is a principal investigator on a variety of projects, including Utah Communities That Care Training program, Staying Connected with Your Teen, Families Facing the Future (formerly Focus on Families) and a National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded study on Family Connections. He is an investigator of the Community Youth Development Study, which tests the effectiveness of the Communities That Care program.

In addition, he is researching the intersection of biological and environmental risks for drug abuse in a study that focuses on emerging adults. He has also been an active collaborator with other research groups, including Iowa State University’s Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute and Boy’s Town of Omaha, Nebraska.

His interest in the efficient and effective transition of tested programs into real-world settings has led to his involvement as principal investigator in two research grants that focus on adapting the Staying Connected with Your Teen program for use in drug-treatment and foster-care settings.

An expert on substance abuse and delinquency prevention, Dr. Haggerty speaks, conducts trainings, and writes extensively on this field. He has presented papers at many national and international conferences throughout Europe, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Canada and the United States. He has been a board member of the Society for Prevention Research and is a prevention science reviewer for periodicals such as Evaluation and Program Planning and the Journal of Adolescent Health, among others.