Claudia Mejia (PsyD 2016) has won the “2021 James Mikawa Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Psychology” from the Nevada Psychological Association. 

Mejia is a Licensed Psychologist and Director of Social and Behavioral Health Services at Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada, a nonprofit integrated care medical clinic that provides free services for individuals without medical insurance (www.vmsn.org).

The following was read at her award presentation: “Dr. Mejia specializes in health intervention services with the mission of providing quality healthcare and support to Southern Nevadans in low-income communities. Just days after the state’s COVID-19 restrictions commenced, Dr. Mejia was on the phone connecting with the community’s most vulnerable patients.

“As you understood the importance of each patient’s health and well-being, you and your team worked around the clock to create resource guides, coordinate rideshares to appointments, work with the volunteer and pharmacy departments for prescription deliveries and collaborate with the medical and operations teams to get a telemedicine program off the ground. Since providing telemedicine services, you have been able to reach even more people in the community who are considered high-risk individuals.

“You also showed an extra level of compassion over the holiday season by providing essential items to more than 200 patients and their family members – and is continuing to distribute these items to assist even more of those in-need.”