Teresa Valencia-Huerta, MD, MPH

Teresa is originally from San Antonio, TX. She attended the University of the Incarnate Word, where she studied biology and psychology, and went on to pursue dual MD/MPH degrees at Texas Tech and University of Texas School of Public Health. Driven by a commitment to vulnerable populations, Teresa has dedicated years to volunteer work across various settings. She has also served as a volunteer medical student at HOLA and Rotacare Free Clinic, providing primary care to unhoused and underinsured patients in El Paso. Teresa's research focuses on innovative approaches to mental health care, including her current work assessing the effects of chair yoga on depression and anxiety in unhoused women. She is a dedicated advocate for mental health awareness through her work with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and has championed LGBTQ+ health equity as a founding member of her school's Pride Alliance. 

• Hometown: San Antonio, TX
• Professional Interests: Forensics, child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction
• Future Plans: To pursue a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry and forensics.
• Memberships: American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Medical Association
• Hobbies: Weightlifting, birdwatching, anime, music, movies, spending time with my dog and family

• MD, Texas Tech University Health Science Center in El Paso, 2026
• MPH, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, 2026
• BS, University of the Incarnate Word, 2021

Oral presentations

• Felix-Ortiz M, Valencia-Huerta T, & Nguyen TT. Adverse Childhood Experiences and Drug Use Among College Students. Podium Presentation to American Psychological Association Conference, August 03, 2023, District of Columbia.
• Valencia-Huerta T, Ordonez M, Nguyen TT, Villarreal A, & Felix-Ortiz M. Influences on Drug Use among Young Adults: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Suicide, and Alcohol Use. Oral Presentation to UIW Psychological Colloquium & Honors Symposium, April 20, 2021. University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX.

Poster presentations

• Villarreal A, Valencia-Huerta T, Nguyen TT, & Felix-Ortiz M. Peer and Other Social Influences and Vaping among Young Adults. Poster Presentation to Southwestern Psychological Association, April 08, 2022, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Hernandez A, Santiago AA, Valencia-Huerta T, Medrano J, & Glass K. Effects of Chair Yoga on Mental Health in an Unhoused Female Population in a US/Mexico Border City. Poster presentation To American Psychiatric Association Conference, May 16, 2026, San Francisco, California.