MEET DR. GINA NAVARRETE
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Early Life
Gina grew up in South America, where she learned from her parents the importance of education. By the time Gina was 14 years old, she came with her parents who had established legal US residency. Gina considers herself fortunate, in that she faced barriers that were limited to language and culture, while others have faced far more difficult journeys to arrive in this country. As a Latina first-generation immigrant and proud American citizen, she has a unique perspective to represent the interest of an increasingly diverse district in the Queen City. She feels blessed to call Charlotte her home and considers it a great privilege to be able to give back to the community as a public servant. Education Gina earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in microbiology from the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). She then completed her Master of Science degree in cognition and neuroscience. Gina received her doctorate in clinical psychology from UT Southwestern Medical Center. She completed her residency training at Parkland Memorial Hospital and Children’s Hospital in Dallas, TX. She went on to complete a two-year, post-doctoral fellowship in neuropsychology in San Antonio at the Health Science Center and Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital. |
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The Journey from Professional to Social Advocate
After completing her fellowship, Gina went on to build a successful private practice in Denver, Colorado, where she was the clinical director and managing partner. In her practice, Gina worked with patients suffering with traumatic brain injuries and progressive neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. She was also a clinical consultant for Craig Hospital.
Much of her work was in the forensic arena as an expert witness for litigation cases. She also worked on cases for the state of Colorado district attorney and public defender’s office. This work provided her a unique insight into the intersection of mental health issues and the criminal justice system.
Gina never lost the educational importance taught to her in her youth. As part of her continuing commitment to education, Gina worked as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Denver, supervising psychology students and residents. She was also Clinical Adjunct Professor in Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Rocky Vista University, College of Osteopathic Medicine.
She has presented on various neuropsychiatric topics at National and International conferences. She has also conducted research and has authored numerous papers in her field.
As a mental health clinician, Gina has served on numerous professional boards throughout her career, advocating for patients and advancing the knowledge and standards of practice of her field. She became involved with the National Academy of Neuropsychology and the Colorado Psychological Association – to name a few – where she used her position to help fight for mental health parity. She served on the board of directors for the Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado as vice-president and the legislative action committee for many years. During this time, Gina worked towards advocating for patients via legislative action at the local and national level.
Gina’s has witnessed first-hand how patients struggle with the difficult realities of accessing and paying for healthcare. Seeing the difficult choice patients had to make between paying a $10 or $20 copay to refill a much-needed prescription or putting food on the table for their children, Gina became increasingly committed to community service and patient welfare. After moving to Charlotte with her husband Ken and their 16-year-old son Alex, she has worked full-time towards building a safer and more prosperous community.
Gina’s commitment to public service took on an even greater urgency after she attended the first Women’s March in Washington, D.C. Following this event, she joined and helped develop the Charlotte’s Women’s March – an organization that focuses on women’s issues and promoting social justice – and now serves as co-president of this organization. She is also a member of the School Leadership Team at her son’s school, Myers Park High School. Today, she dedicates her time highlighting issues to mobilize voters that are specific to Women and towards making our community a safer and more equitable city.
After completing her fellowship, Gina went on to build a successful private practice in Denver, Colorado, where she was the clinical director and managing partner. In her practice, Gina worked with patients suffering with traumatic brain injuries and progressive neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. She was also a clinical consultant for Craig Hospital.
Much of her work was in the forensic arena as an expert witness for litigation cases. She also worked on cases for the state of Colorado district attorney and public defender’s office. This work provided her a unique insight into the intersection of mental health issues and the criminal justice system.
Gina never lost the educational importance taught to her in her youth. As part of her continuing commitment to education, Gina worked as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Denver, supervising psychology students and residents. She was also Clinical Adjunct Professor in Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Rocky Vista University, College of Osteopathic Medicine.
She has presented on various neuropsychiatric topics at National and International conferences. She has also conducted research and has authored numerous papers in her field.
As a mental health clinician, Gina has served on numerous professional boards throughout her career, advocating for patients and advancing the knowledge and standards of practice of her field. She became involved with the National Academy of Neuropsychology and the Colorado Psychological Association – to name a few – where she used her position to help fight for mental health parity. She served on the board of directors for the Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado as vice-president and the legislative action committee for many years. During this time, Gina worked towards advocating for patients via legislative action at the local and national level.
Gina’s has witnessed first-hand how patients struggle with the difficult realities of accessing and paying for healthcare. Seeing the difficult choice patients had to make between paying a $10 or $20 copay to refill a much-needed prescription or putting food on the table for their children, Gina became increasingly committed to community service and patient welfare. After moving to Charlotte with her husband Ken and their 16-year-old son Alex, she has worked full-time towards building a safer and more prosperous community.
Gina’s commitment to public service took on an even greater urgency after she attended the first Women’s March in Washington, D.C. Following this event, she joined and helped develop the Charlotte’s Women’s March – an organization that focuses on women’s issues and promoting social justice – and now serves as co-president of this organization. She is also a member of the School Leadership Team at her son’s school, Myers Park High School. Today, she dedicates her time highlighting issues to mobilize voters that are specific to Women and towards making our community a safer and more equitable city.
