Elisa V. Borah, MSW, PhD serves as Director of the Moritz Center for Societal Impact. She is a research associate professor at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin, where she serves as director of the Institute for Military and Veteran Family Wellness (IMVFW) at the Steve Hicks School (SHS).
Dr. Borah’s research includes the development, testing and effective implementation of mental health treatments and social supports for adults and children. She also studies suicide prevention, substance abuse treatments and peer support. Dr. Borah has conducted research extensively with the military and veteran community as director of the Institute for Military and Veteran Family Wellness (IMVFW) at the Steve Hicks School (SHS). Since joining the SHS faculty in 2016, Dr. Borah founded the Veteran Spouse Network, initially funded through an Engagement Award from the Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI), with current funding from the USAA Foundation and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Her other research is funded by the Department of Defense, PCORI and other private foundations.
Elisa’s research interests include developing and testing effective implementation strategies that improve individuals’ access to evidence-based behavioral health treatment in community mental health settings. Her past research currently focuses on improving mental health treatment access for transition-age youth through better client engagement, and support for the implementation of the Home and Community Base Services program that provides community-based health supports for adults with serious mental illness. Elisa earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology in 1995 and a Master of Social Work in 1998 from Washington University in St. Louis. After working at the Urban Institute in Washington, DC, and at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Elisa earned a PhD in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin in 2010. Dr. Borah previously served as director of research at the Ft. Hood site of the STRONG STAR PTSD Research Consortium, a Department of Defense research consortium at UT Health San Antonio.
