Christina P. Borba, PhD
Associate Professor, Psychiatry

Biography
Christina P.C. Borba, PhD, MPH is Director of Research for the Department of Psychiatry at Boston Medical Center. Until 2016, she was the Director of Research at the MGH Division of Global Psychiatry. She is an Assistant in Psychology (Psychiatry) at Harvard Medical School and an Assistant in Research at MGH.
Dr. Borba has extensive experience in mixed methods research, teaching and training, and development and management of randomized clinical trials. Dr. Borba’s current research focuses on psychotic disorders and cultural psychiatry in low-resourced settings in the US and abroad, women’s mental health, and gender differences in care.
Dr. Borba is currently examining socio-cultural aspects of schizophrenia in Ethiopia with a goal of understanding why the disease prevalence ratio has been found to be 5:1 male to female (a statistic unlike any other in the world). She is also involved in ongoing efforts in Liberia to increase local research capacity with the University of Liberia, and to identify and conduct priority mental health-related research with in-country academic leaders. In her role as Director of Research in the Department of Psychiatry at Boston Medical Center and Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Dr. Borba works to expand departmental research capacity through research education initiatives for residents and medical students, mentorship of junior faculty, new faculty recruitment and the expansion of research infrastructure capacity within the department. She supervises and provides research-related trainings for all research teams within the Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Borba has co-published several peer-reviewed articles and first authored two book chapters. She is the recipient of the New Clinical Drug Evaluation New Investigator Award from the National Institute of Mental Health. She received her doctorate in public health from Emory University and her master’s degree in public health from Boston University. She has lectured on qualitative methods and has taught masters-level courses at Emory on research methods and statistical analysis in the field of behavioral sciences. Prior to her doctorate, Dr. Borba managed the efforts of a cross-functional research team including research coordinators, student interns and fellows, while being responsible for the management of several clinical randomized control trials.
Websites
Education
- Emory University, PhD
- Boston University School of Public Health, MPH
- Northeastern University, BA
Publications
- Published on 5/5/2023
Nguyen KTNH, Stuart JJ, Shah AH, Becene IA, West MG, Berrill J, Gelaye B, Borba CPC, Rich-Edwards JW. Novel Methods for Leveraging Large Cohort Studies for Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Research. Am J Epidemiol. 2023 May 05; 192(5):821-829. PMID: 36790786.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 2/6/2023
Freitag GF, Salem H, Conroy K, Busto C, Adrian M, Borba CPC, Brandt A, Chu PV, Dantowitz A, Farley AM, Fortuna L, Furr JM, Lejeune J, Miller L, Platt R, Porche M, Read KL, Rivero-Conil S, Hernandez RDS, Shumway P, Sikov J, Spencer A, Syeda H, McLellan LF, Rapee RM, McMakin D, Pincus DB, Comer JS. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pediatric and parent-proxy short forms for anxiety: Psychometric properties in the Kids FACE FEARS sample. J Anxiety Disord. 2023 Mar; 94:102677. PMID: 36773484.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/27/2022
Choi J, Juntunen A, Brewer H, Abbas D, Sopper C, Bielick L, Ghebrehiwet S, Flinton K, Sarfaty S, Jacquet GA, Crosby S, Piwowarczyk L, Oleng N, Borba CPC. Evaluating an Interprofessional Trauma-Based Education Course to Advance the Care and Health of Refugees. J Immigr Minor Health. 2023 Oct; 25(5):1043-1049. PMID: 36574112.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/19/2022
Zolli N, Loubeau JK, Sikov J, Baul TD, Hasan S, Rosen K, Buonocore O, Rabin M, Duncan A, Fortuna L, Borba CPC, Silverstein M, Spencer AE. "If he doesn't buy in, it's a waste of time": Perspectives from diverse parents and adolescents on engaging children in ADHD treatment. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2022 Dec 19. PMID: 36534302.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 10/26/2022
Husain JM, Cromartie D, Fitzelle-Jones E, Brochier A, Borba CPC, Montalvo C. A qualitative analysis of barriers to opioid agonist treatment for racial/ethnic minoritized populations. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2023 Jan; 144:108918. PMID: 36403456.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 8/24/2022
Oblath R, Herrera CN, Were LPO, Syeda HS, Duncan A, Ferguson T, Kalesan B, Perez DC, Taglieri J, Borba CPC, Henderson DC. Long-Term Trends in Psychiatric Emergency Services Delivered by the Boston Emergency Services Team. Community Ment Health J. 2023 Feb; 59(2):370-380. PMID: 36001197.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 8/9/2022
Korte KJ, Hook K, Levey EJ, Cooper-Vince CE, Denckla CA, Ghebrehiwet S, Hock RS, Harris BL, Menyongai J, Baul TD, Borba CPC, Fricchione GL, Henderson DC. A Global-Local Paradigm for Mental Health: A Model and Implications for Addressing Disparities Through Training and Research. Acad Psychiatry. 2023 Apr; 47(2):196-200. PMID: 35941340.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 7/19/2022
Shah AH, Becene IA, Nguyen KTNH, Stuart JJ, West MG, Berrill JES, Hankins J, Borba CPC, Rich-Edwards JW. A qualitative analysis of psychosocial stressors and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on frontline healthcare personnel in the United States. SSM Qual Res Health. 2022 Dec; 2:100130. PMID: 35873922.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/17/2022
Curren LC, Borba CPC, Henderson DC, Tompson MC. "Making Room": A Thematic Analysis Study of the Process of Postpartum Maternal Adjustment. Matern Child Health J. 2022 May; 26(5):1142-1152. PMID: 35298743.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/14/2022
Prom MC, Denduluri A, Philpotts LL, Rondon MB, Borba CPC, Gelaye B, Byatt N. A Systematic Review of Interventions That Integrate Perinatal Mental Health Care Into Routine Maternal Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Front Psychiatry. 2022; 13:859341. PMID: 35360136.
Read at: PubMed
View 104 more publications: View full profile at BUMC