Esther Calzada, PhD, is an associate professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine. Her major research interests include the role of culture (e.g., immigration and acculturation) in family processes, the prevention of mental health problems in children from ethnic minority populations, and the cultural adaptation of evidence-based mental health treatments, particularly parent training programs.

Dr. Calzada is currently the principal investigator of a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) R01 to study the family and school contexts of Latino children as they transition to school. This longitudinal study will examine risk and protective factors critical to the behavioral, emotional and academic development of young Latino children. Dr. Calzada recently completed a K award (also funded by NICHD) to study Latino families of preschoolers using a cultural framework of parenting, and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Caring Across Communities grant to provide mental health services to young AfroCaribbean students. She also serves as co-investigator for ParentCorps, a prevention program in public schools to promote social and emotional competencies and academic achievement in preschoolers from underserved, urban, disadvantaged communities.

Dr. Calzada received her BA from Duke University and her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Florida.

She is a member of a number of professional organizations including the Society for Research on Child Development and the Society for Prevention Research. Her work has been published in Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, Journal of Child and Family Studies, Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, and Cognitive and Behavioral Practice.