Michael Talamantes

Michael M Talamantes

Clinical Professor

What I do

The opportunities for social work in health are infinite. If you define health broadly and are passionate about whole person care and the social determinants of health, the health and wellness concentration is right for you. This concentration can be a pathway for you to make a difference for those most vulnerable. It will place your career on a trajectory that will be dynamic, challenging and gratifying.

Specialization(s)

clinical social work, disparities, health and wellness, mental and behavioral health, social justice

Professional Biography

Michael Talamantes, LCSW, has been a clinical associate professor at the Graduate School of Social Work since 2013. Talamantes is the coordinator of the health and wellness concentration and the dual MSW/MPH program. He was a field instructor for over 20 years and a clinical social worker at the University of Colorado Hospital on the liver transplant team for 21 years. He is the co-PI of the HRSA's Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training grant, awarded to GSSW in 2017. He is the co-chair of the Colorado's State Innovation Model (SIM) workforce workgroup and active across Colorado regarding workforces and the integration of health and behavioral health.

Talamantes is a Disparities Scholar from the National Institutes of Health Translational Health Disparities Conference (2014) and a Behavioral Health Training Fellow from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA) (2017). He is an active member of the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE), the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care (SSWLHC), the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (CFHA) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Talamantes received the Excellence in Teaching Award for Appointed Faculty, Graduate School of Social Work, in 2014. He teaches in both the foundation and concentration curriculum.

Degree(s)

  • MSW, Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, 1992
  • BA, Biology & History, Texas Christian University, 1985

Licensure / Accreditations

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

Professional Affiliations

  • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

Key Projects

  • 2nd Integrated Behavioral Health Educational Training Consortium
  • CLIMB@DU

Featured Publications

Gorgens, K. A., Talamantes, M. M., & Davis, S. J. (1969). Integrated Behavioral Health Training Consortium.

Presentations

Talamantes, M. M. (2016). Creativity and Innovation in the classroom: Preparing the next generation of MSW students for a career in Health Care. . Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care. Los Angeles, CA: SSWLHC.
Talamantes, M. M. (2015). Integrated Care Implementation: Adapting Social Work Education in a Changing Health -Care System. Council on Social Work Education. Denver: CSWE.
Talamantes, M. M. (2016). Mental Health, Integrated Behavioral Health and the Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM): Implications for Colorado. Colorado Chapter of Employee Assistance Professionals Association. Denver: same.
Talamantes, M. M. (2017). Social Work, Workforce Development and Interprofessional Collaboration: Charting New Territory. Council on Social Work Education. Dallas, TX.

Awards

  • Excellence in Teaching Award for Appointed Faculty, GSSW
  • Kay Stevenson Faculty Citizenship Award, GSSW
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA) Behavioral Health Training Fellow, NIAAA & Boston University School of Social Work
  • NIH Health Disparities Scholar, National Institutes of Health