AUSTIN, Texas – Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health and associate vice president of diversity and community engagement at The University of Texas at Austin, was awarded the 2015 Mental Health Professional of the Year Award by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Texas. The award is a recognition of Martinez’s achievements as a physician, educator and philanthropic leader. It was presented as part of the 2015 NAMI Texas Conference on Friday, October 23rd in Dallas, Texas.
Martinez became executive director of the Hogg Foundation in 2008. During his tenure, the foundation has raised its national profile as a leader on issues such as eliminating health disparities, integrated health care, public policy and strengthening recovery-oriented services. Martinez’s service on numerous boards and advisory bodies has also established him as a thought leader on broader issues of public health, mental health and philanthropy.
“NAMI is one of the most influential and respected names in mental health advocacy and education, and to say that I’m honored to receive this recognition is an understatement,” said Martinez. “It’s a sign that my work and the work of the Hogg Foundation hasn’t gone unnoticed by people who matter.”
Along with his position at the Hogg Foundation, Martinez is a clinical professor in the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin and an adjunct professor of psychiatry at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He holds a doctor’s degree in medicine from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University’s School of Public Health, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business administration with a concentration in finance from The University of Texas at Austin.
The Hogg Foundation advances recovery and wellness in Texas by supporting mental health services, policy analysis, research and public education. The foundation was created in 1940 by the children of former Texas Gov. James S. Hogg and is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.