Faculty and Staff

Dr. Melanie Longhurst is an assistant professor, licensed clinical psychologist, and psychology training director at TTUHSC El Paso. She holds an M.Ed. in counseling from the University of Texas at El Paso. She completed a pre-doctoral internship and a post-doctoral fellowship in primary care/health psychology at the Southern Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) in San Antonio. She joined the TTUHSC El Paso Department of Psychiatry faculty in 2018. Her primary clinical and research interests include the intersection of physical health and mental health concerns, integrated care, wellness, and multicultural issues, particularly those impacting Mexicans/Mexican Americans. She has a strong interest in training future clinicians in the provision of services to underserved populations, such as the people of her hometown of El Paso. Her long-term career goals include expanding the presence of primary care behavioral health integration services and services for oncology patients in the El Paso community and building a body of research examining the impact of integrated care and wellness interventions.

Dr. Johnson is originally from Kansas City, Missouri, but fell in love with the El Paso area when her family moved in 2020. She received a Ph.D. in school psychology with an emphasis in pediatric psychology from Howard University. She completed a pre-doctoral internship at Loudoun County Public School District in Ashburn, Virginia.  Also, Dr. Johnson finished her fellowship program in hematology and oncology/health psychology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. She joined the TTUHSC El Paso Department of Psychiatry faculty in 2023. Her primary clinical and research interests include the intersection between chronic health conditions and mental health concerns among children and adolescents, social justice issues, and providing culturally relevant assessments and services.  She has a strong interest in examining the social determinants of health behaviors among childhood cancer patients and effective transitions from hospitals to schools for children with medically complex health conditions. Her long-term career goals include expanding her research to examine the longitudinal impact between health behaviors and mental health within children and to pursue community outreach by bridging the gap between academia research around mental health to the community through workshops and educational forums. Dr. Johnson is a plant-based foodie and enjoys experimenting with new vegan dishes! She enjoys traveling, fitness, and spending quality time with loved ones.

Monica is a native El Pasoan who has lived in other parts of Texas, but returned to raise her children in El Paso. She received a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University. Her career before becoming a counselor included working in manufacturing, and in several business and marketing positions at corporations including Motorola, Procter & Gamble, and American Airlines. Her varied experience has enhanced her skills as a therapist to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgement, with empathy and an analytical point of view. She uses a variety of modalities but is partial to Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD (CPT).