New Perspectives: Mental Health in Texas

Established in 1940, the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health envisions a future in which the people of Texas thrive in communities that support mental health and well-being. Using a variety of approaches, including grantmaking, convening, research and public policy, the foundation works collaboratively to transform how communities promote mental health in everyday life.

Dr. William Bush is Professor of History at Texas A&M University San Antonio where he teaches classes on U.S. History, social and cultural history, and research methods. His second book, Circuit Riders for Mental Health: The Hogg Foundation in Twentieth-Century Texas, was published by Texas A&M University Press in 2016. The book explores the transformation of popular understandings of mental health, the reform of scandal-ridden hospitals and institutions, the emergence of community mental health services, and the extension of mental health services to minority populations around the state of Texas. 

Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., F.A.P.A., is executive director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at The University of Texas at Austin. Martinez also holds the appointments of Senior Associate Vice-President within the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement where he heads up the Community Integrated Health Initiatives program for the Division, and the Associate Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Dell Medical School, Clinical Professor at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work; Faculty Affiliate of the Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice in the School of Law, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio. Martinez currently serves on the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, a member of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Health and Medicine Division’s Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity.

Public programs at the Bullock Museum explore relevant history and celebrate the culture that has shaped our modern world. Through engaging discussions, performances, and scholarship guests are invited to see local connections and discover how Texas fits into a broader national story.