Dr. Luis H. Zayas
Provost and Senior Vice President
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
A native of Coamo, Puerto Rico, Dr. Zayas received his BA from Manhattan College in economics and liberal arts. He received a master’s degree in social work and a PhD in developmental psychology, all from Columbia University.
He began his social work career in New York City as a clinician in social service agencies, general and pediatric rehabilitation hospitals, and mental health and primary care clinics in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. Dr. Zayas went on to teach at Columbia University, Fordham University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Washington University in St. Louis. He is the author of three books and over 130 scientific papers and chapters. Dr. Zayas has lectured nationally and internationally, and is a frequent commentator on issues of children’s mental health, appearing in a popular TED talk, The New York Times, TIME Magazine, CNN.com, Washington Post, Telemundo, Univision, NPR, and BBC Radio.
Just prior to joining UT Austin, Dr. Zayas was the inaugural Shanti K. Khinduka Distinguished Professor of Social Work and Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis. He has lectured to university audiences in Chile, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Honduras, Mexico, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Dr. Zayas remains an active practitioner today through his evaluations of immigrant children and families facing deportation, and refugee and asylum-seeking mothers and children held in immigration detention centers.
