The Future of Mental Healthcare East

Dr. Rhonda Robinson Beale is a seasoned healthcare executive with over 30 years of experience  in health care systems, managed care and quality improvement in behavioral health and  medical care. She is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Mental Health Services within UHG.  Dr. Robinson Beale has served in the past as Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer for  Blue Cross of Idaho and for several other large national and local health care organizations,  such as Optum, PacifiCare, Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Health Alliance Plan in  Michigan. She has been involved with many national organizations as a subject matter expert,  National Institute of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, Institute of Medicine, National  Quality Forum, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, American  Society of Addiction Medicine, NCQA and others.  

Dr Robinson Beale has served on many national boards, engaged with key committees and  workgroups and has been significantly involved in influencing changes in the system. She was  on the IOM committee that created “Crossing the Quality Chasm and “To Err is Human.” Dr.  Robinson Beale has been involved in influencing local and national legislation particularly  around Parity and ACA issues. Her involvements led to her having the opportunity to testify  before the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee (HELP) on the state of behavioral health care.

Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, is CEO of the American Psychological Association, the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States.

Before joining APA in March 2017, Dr. Evans spent 12 years as commissioner of Philadelphia’s $1.5 billion Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services. In that post, he emphasized a data-driven, population health approach, which improved outcomes for diverse people with complex needs. This increased the system’s efficiency, saving more than $110 million over the course his tenure that was reinvested to improve and expand services. The system in Philadelphia has become a national and international model, particularly for governments desiring to improve health equity. Prior to Philadelphia, Dr. Evans was deputy commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, where he led major strategic initiatives that included increasing the use of evidence-based practices, addressing health care disparities,  implementing a recovery-oriented policy framework, conducting research, and improving community engagement. Over the years he has received widespread recognition, including the American Medical Association’s top government service award in healthcare, the Lisa Mojer-Torres Award from Faces and Voices of Recovery, and the Visionary Leadership Award from the National Council of Behavioral Health, as well as being named as an “Advocate for Action” by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy. A major emphasis of his career has been equity and social justice and he has received multiple awards named for Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for this work. Dr. Evans has held faculty appointments at the Yale University School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Drexel School of Public Health. Dr. Evans holds a doctorate in clinical/community psychology from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in experimental psychology from Florida Atlantic University, where hewas inducted into the university’s Alumni Hall of Fame.

Trip Hofer recently rejoined Optum Health, a UnitedHealth Group Company, as CEO of Optum  Behavioral Solutions. Mr. Hofer is responsible for the overall strategy for our behavioral businesses,  driving growth for our behavioral products and offerings, continuing to ensure our network supports  timely access and expanding behavioral care delivery for the people we serve. Mr. Hofer is a visionary  leader who has a reputation for bringing new and disruptive thinking to his teams. Under his leadership,  we are building the optimal Behavioral Health platform to serve our members – leveraging the  behavioral benefits (insurance coverage), care delivery and digital capabilities of Optum. 

In addition, Trip has served – and continues to serve – as the CEO of AbleTo since 2018. Independent of  Optum, AbleTo is a leading provider of virtual behavioral health care services. Mr. Hofer continues to  drive significant growth for the organization and serve their members’ mental health needs with  superior experiences and innovative solutions. 

Prior to joining AbleTo, Mr. Hofer held leadership roles at CVS Health, Health Dialog and UnitedHealth  Group – including leadership roles on Optum Health’s Employer Solutions and Wellness & Wellbeing  teams. Mr. Hofer spent several years with Booz Allen, a leading management consulting firm  headquartered in Washington, D.C. 

Mr. Hofer holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Environmental Studies from St. Lawrence  University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Yale University’s School of  Management.

Solome Tibebu is a behavioral health technology strategist passionate about health equity and access.  Solome is the founder of Going Digital: Behavioral Health Tech, the largest community dedicated to advancing access to mental health and substance use services through technology and innovation. 

Solome was the founding Director of The Upswing Fund for Adolescent Mental Health, a philanthropic fund seeded by Pivotal Ventures, Melinda French Gates’ personal investment company. Through the Upswing Fund, Solome and her team funded 100+ community based-organizations and nonprofits nationwide focused on supporting the mental health of  LGBTQ+ teens and adolescents of color.  As a consumer of mental health services, Solome has been a mental health advocate since she started the Anxiety In Teens blog when she was 16-year-old in 2006. Solome is an advisor or board director to several behavioral health companies and national nonprofits, an Aspen Health Fellow, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute Senior Fellow, and she is a venture capital scout for Andreessen Horowitz. 

Suzanne Kunis is Vice President of Behavioral Health Solutions for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. She brings over 30 years of experience in the health care  industry with a significant focus on behavioral health. Suzanne is a registered nurse and moved from care delivery to health care management early in her career.

Suzanne was recruited to Horizon in March 2017 to develop and lead Horizon’s first ever internal Behavioral Health strategy and team. Suzanne is responsible for all behavioral health strategy development and execution including Horizon’s commitment to the  integration of physical and behavioral health. In her five years at Horizon, Suzanne has led the development of Horizon’s continuum of behavioral health capabilities, programs and services – an innovative approach to ensure the right care at the right time for all of Horizon’s members. Suzanne oversees all work related to behavioral health including the 2020 insourcing of behavioral health clinical operations from an MBHO vendor and has developed and successfully launched a first-of-its-kind integrated system of care to address the challenges of our fragmented delivery system for our most vulnerable members in New Jersey. Suzanne is Horizon’s behavioral health champion – the opioid crisis and continued battle to eliminate mental health stigma are priority items on her agenda and she is working tirelessly to ensure that Horizon’s employees, provider network and members know that “mental health is health.” Prior to joining Horizon BCBSNJ, Suzanne served for 22 years as Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health Services for Magellan Health Services. She was the business owner for Magellan’s health plan (Commercial, Medicare and Medicaid) and employer client relationships. She was responsible for oversight and management of nationwide service delivery including member services, clinical operations, network development  and management, quality, sales, EAP and finance. During her tenure with Magellan,  Suzanne developed a deep understanding of the behavioral health care issues facing our country and the long overdue recognition of the impact of behavioral health issues on comorbid medical conditions.Suzanne also served as Senior Vice President of Account Management and Implementations for ComplexCare Solutions (CCS). CCS provided in-home risk adjustment assessments and care management services for its health plan clients.

After graduating from Thomas Jefferson University, College of Allied Health Sciences in Philadelphia, Suzanne began her nursing career at the East Orange Veterans Administration Hospital. She then began a 12-year career journey with which was then Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey where she served many roles including Vice President of the Individual Market segment.

Naomi Garcia Alvarez, PhD, MBA, LPC-S is the Associate Vice President of Behavioral Health at Molina Healthcare. She received her Master of Business Administration and Master of Professional Counseling from Amberton University and her Doctor of Philosophy from St. Mary’s University. Over the last 10 years, Dr. Alvarez has held various positions at Molina, including program director for behavioral health. 

Her clinical areas of expertise include grief counseling, depression, anxiety, domestic violence, and university counseling. Dr. Alvarez has been an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio in the graduate Counseling program. As a member of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Mental Health Condition and Substance Use Disorder Parity Workgroup, Dr. Alvarez influences legislation related to the understanding of, and compliance with, state and federal parity protection.

Merrill leads inclusive policy and advocacy for Elevance Health.  She works collaboratively with consumers, advocates and stakeholders to ensure the interests and preferences of our diverse communities and membership inform Elevance’s health benefits approaches and healthcare programs. Ms. Friedman advances the integration of the independent living philosophy and the National Advisory Board (NAB) on Improving Healthcare Services for Older Adults and People with Disabilities six foundational principles throughout policy, programs, individual interactions, and business practices. In addition, she leads strategic partnerships with national and local organizations to advance access, health equity, and inclusive public policy.

Previously, Ms. Friedman was interim director at a nonprofit foster care agency serving children and adolescents who experienced severe neglect and abuse. She also served as president and chief executive officer of a private organization that owned and operated residential treatment facilities, group homes and home and community-based services in several states for adolescents with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Ms. Friedman has served on numerous national boards and commissions.  She was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and by Governor Jennifer Granholm to the MI Statewide Independent Living Council where she served as Board Chair.  Currently, Ms. Friedman serves on the board of directors for the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), the Institute for Exceptional Care (IEC), and the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF), and is an Advisory Board member for Uplift and ADvancing States’ MLTSS Institute.

Nathaniel Z Counts, JD is the Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health Innovation for Mental Health America (MHA) and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He currently also serves as the Senior Fellow in Behavioral Health Policy at the Commonwealth Fund. At MHA, Nathaniel leads policy research and advocacy centered around addressing social and economic determinants of behavioral health, prevention and population health strategies, and the economics of investing to improve behavioral health. Nathaniel’s thought leadership and research has been published in journals such as JAMA Pediatrics, Lancet Psychiatry, and the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Nathaniel also serves as an expert member of the Forum on Promoting Children’s Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Health at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Nathaniel received his J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was a Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy Student Fellow, and his B.A. in biology from Johns Hopkins.

Brad Lerner is a Director of Public Policy & Manager of Behavioral Health and Enterprise Issues for Anthem and formerly served as vice president government affairs/associate general counsel for Beacon Health Options. He is government relations professional with more than 25 years of public and private sector experience analyzing and addressing regulatory issues, including complex legal and policy issues in health care. He is a leading expert on Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) analysis and compliance and works with federal and state policymakers on ways to improve mental health and substance used disorder system of care. He is currently serving on the Board of Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness and is a subcommittee chair on the American Health Lawyers Association Behavioral Health Task Force. Previously, he worked as a regulatory attorney at the Federal Communications Commission and as in-house counsel at Cavalier Telephone, LLC. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School.

Anshu Choudhri is vice president of policy development and strategy for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), a national federation of 34 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies. Today, one in three Americans is covered by the Blue System.

Choudhri has been with BCBSA since 2005, serving in multiple capacities on both the clinical and policy teams. In his current role, Choudhri oversees the development of BCBSA’s public policy positions and strategy for use with the administration, Congress, government agencies, state regulators and third parties. He guides staff in the formation of BCBSA’s positions on current legislation, regulation and opportunities to improve the healthcare system across commercial markets and government programs. Choudhri has led legislative and regulatory policy position development on a wide variety of topics including delivery system reform, COVID-19, prescription drugs, surprise billing, transparency, affordability, opioid and substance use disorder, health equity, public health, mental health parity, healthcare quality, health IT and interoperability.

Previously, Choudhri initiated BCBSA’s commitment to value-based care in collaboration with BCBS companies supporting the launch of patient-centered medical home (PCMH) pilots that aimed to transform the way primary care is delivered and financed. He led cross-divisional teams and provided strategic guidance to senior leadership toward national implementation of PCMH and Accountable Care Organization programs across the BCBS System.

Prior to joining BCBSA, Choudhri’s experience included performance measurement and program development with the National Committee for Quality Assurance and the State of Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, developing HEDIS measures and working extensively with state leaders to expand employment support programs for the Medicaid population in Maryland.

Choudhri received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from George Washington University and earned a Master of Health Science in health finance and management from The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Shana has a passion for behavioral health and well-being. Her background combines a unique understanding of the healthcare industry through her experience in Fortune 500, private equity-backed, and early early-stage healthcare companies. As part of her work at Lucet, she hopes to make high-quality mental health core more accessible and is inspired to innovate unique ways to deliver better results. Before joining Lucet, Shana served as senior vice president of corporate transformation and chief operating officer of the Tri-State Mid-Atlantic Region at Beacon Health Options. Leading client and provider operations for a region serving over 20 health plans, state-direct customers, and over nine million members, Shana improved operational performance for clients and the organisation.

Before joining Beacon, Shana directed client development and growth efforts at Kyruus, a leader in provider search and scheduling solutions for hospitals and health systems. She was instrumental in establishing key client relationships, developing go-to-market strategies, and increasing revenue five-fold. 

Shana graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science inEngineering and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. She aims to impact the industry by ‘‘Making mental health care part of regular medical care, so there is no delineation between physical and mental health.’’

Brandon Jones is the CEO of Triad, the leading provider of education, community, and career resources for behavioral and mental health students, professionals, and organizations. In addition to the parent brand, Triad operates five sub-brands – AATBS, Academic Review, Gerry Grossman Seminars, Taylor Study Method, and The Wellness Institute – and serves professionals in psychology, social work, marriage & family therapy, counseling, behavior analysis, and hypnotherapy.

Before coming to Triad, Brandon spent nearly two decades at Kaplan Test Prep. He started his career as an SAT instructor, and then advanced through a series of roles in academics, operations, sales management, and executive management, with the last several spent as the President of the largest business unit at Kaplan.

Brandon is passionate about the transformative power of education; and as an advocate of grit and growth mindset, he believes that just about anyone can do just about anything. Brandon has an A.B. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University, and lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.

Dr. Roots is the Co-Founder, President and Chief Medical Officer of Bend Health. She is also a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association for her contributions to the mental health field and an adjunct professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a graduate of Carleton College, received her M.D. from University of Sint Eustatius, and then completed her adult psychiatry residency at the University of Minnesota. She then went on to complete a fellowship in child/adolescent psychiatry, also at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Roots has practiced in a variety of settings including schools, community outreach programs, and medical/physical rehabilitation units. She has also worked as a physician utilization reviewer for several larger payors. She believes in a multidisciplinary treatment approach to mental health which takes into account the individual’s cultural, biological, psychological, and social needs. Her interest in a mutisystem approach to mental health led to her previous position as Chief Medical Officer of CogCubed focused on assessing and training cognitive processes through games used on new and innovative technologies. Her work has been featured at several national conferences, in addition to multiple journals and media sources including Clinical Psychiatry News, Boston Globe, Health 2.0, Modern Physician, Sirius XM, Health Professional Radio, Bustle and Pandora. She went on to join Teladoc as VP of Health Services. Her work at Teladoc helped her understand the need for innovation in the delivery of care for mental health. This lead to her previous position as Chief Medical Officer at Sanvello which focused on improving a person’s mental health with the use of a spectrum of virtual services and collaboration with PCP’s. She has also served as Chief Psychiatric Officer for PsychHub, leading the development of evidence based mental health education. Her success at multiple health tech start-up’s lead her to join as Co-Founder, President and Chief Medical Officer of Bend Health, a company focused on a scalable mental health and substance use solution for children, teens and their families.

Tracy Parris-Benjamin is a master’s-level licensed Social Worker, integrator, and equity  champion, who works to sustain support for advancing diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion, and development. Ms. Parris-Benjamin holds a distinguished record of health care innovation and transformation. With the primary goal of achieving equitable health for all, Ms. Parris-Benjamin works with Horizon’s extensive value-based network to lead the development of innovative health programs targeted toward marginalized populations. As the current Director of Community Health and Health Equity at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, she translates executive strategy into tactical implementation, for a broad variety of community health initiatives and care models. Ms. Parris-Benjamin is responsible for leading payer/provider integration work and addressing social determinants of health. She also works with provider systems that are positioning themselves toward assuming global risk. Ms. Parris-Benjamin’s experience demonstrates her work as an advocate for community-based programs and other healthcare initiatives. She leads several workgroups and discussions around increased awareness and stigma reduction of substance use disorders and has championed programs for HIV-positive pregnant teens and their families, survivors of domestic violence, individual and group counseling, parenting workshops to reunite families, and care coordination for underserved and chronically ill persons. She promotes the need for increased cognizance on the impact of health disparities and inequities in healthcare, for underserved populations and persons of color.

In 2019, Ms. Parris-Benjamin received distinguished honors from Diversity MBA as one of the Top leaders under 50 and was featured in the 2020 inaugural issue of the top 100 Women of Influence. She has led the development and implementation of Peer-Recovery models and served as a key speaker for the Partnership for a Drug Free NJ’s ‘Knock Opioid Out of New Jersey’ Initiative. She is a fellow of the New Jersey Healthcare Executives Leadership Academy and was voted into Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ 85th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Ms. Parris-Benjamin was featured on WBGO radio, where she led a discussion on trauma informed care and has often served as a panelist for discussions related to impending social determinants of health. She was featured on NJ Spotlight where she raised awareness on the importance of community engagement to mobilize health education, specifically around COVID-19 and access to resources in high-risk communities.

Ms. Parris-Benjamin is recognized, by her colleagues, as a strong leader and role model. She has engaged in several formal and informal mentor relationships. She is passionate about helping others and bringing awareness to topics and challenges that affect the lives of many. Ms. Parris-Benjamin currently serves on the boards for the Northern NJ Region American Heart Association and the Greater Newark Healthcare Coalition. In her role as President of the Northern NJ Region Board of the American Heart Association and Chair for the Go Red for Women 2021-2022. She is responsible for raising awareness on the importance of Heart and Stroke health through various speaking engagements, fundraising and developing innovative collaborations to expand treatments opportunities, research and prevention with a keen interest in vulnerable communities. She is also an active member of Horizon’s Diversity Counsel where she leads efforts to raise awareness of racial injustices and systemic structures that continue to promote healthcare disparities and racial inequities.

Through her work, Ms. Parris-Benjamin has witnessed the importance and value of investing in a community and devotes time to volunteering. She has supported many projects, such as community garden restorations, fundraising to support homeless teens, women’s empowerment seminars and other activities in conjunction with local churches and community board organizations, to name a few.

When she is not tackling social issues within healthcare, Ms. Parris-Benjamin enjoys spending time with her family.  She is a cherished wife, and mother of two school-aged children.  She is also an entrepreneur and proud business owner of a children’s entertainment venture that focuses on developing confidence in children and young adults.

Ms. Parris-Benjamin holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Social Work from St. John’s University and a master’s in social work from Fordham University.

Brooke Wilson is the Head of Resources For Living, a division of CVS Health’s Aetna Behavioral Health, a leading provider of mental health and employee assistance program (EAP) solutions to members around the globe. In her current role, Brooke oversees Resources For Living’s strategic direction and product fidelity while also developing solutions to engage and improve the mental wellbeing of members, caregivers, employers and communities. She was a pioneer in work-life program development. Throughout her career, Brooke has specialized in connecting people to solutions for non-medical and social determinants of health and lowering the barriers to care for mental wellbeing by incorporating new points of access such as digital solutions and focusing on improving education and literacy. Today, Resources For Living provides mental wellbeing support to 30 million members and over 1300 organizations.

Resources For Living continues to innovate access, services and care to meet the increasing demand and changing expectations of individuals and populations who now prioritize wellbeing as a critical life and workplace imperative.

Brooke brings 25 years of experience in strategy, product development, operations management, communications, and digital innovation to her current role. She started her career in the work-life field at Work & Family Benefits, Inc. in 1997. In 2007, Brooke became Vice President of Marketing and Work-life Operations at Horizon Health EAP Services. In 2009, she joined Aetna Behavioral Health. Brooke earned her degree from Drew University and is an avid cyclist. She is currently based in southern Florida.

Linn Parrish is a seasoned Corporate Responsibility executive with deep expertise in developing and leading partnerships that benefit patients, companies and society. For the last 15+ years, she has been instrumental in advancing how organizations leverage their missions and core competencies for the broader good, focusing the last nine years in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Currently, Linn is the Head of Health Equity Alliances and Partnerships for Takeda’s Center for Health Equity and Patient Affairs. She is responsible for developing long-term alliances with external partners. The goal of the Center is to enable Takeda to create a more inclusive ecosystem and strengthen trust with communities and patients so that everyone, everywhere can fulfill their full health potential. Our Center strives to embed health equity principles into the work we do across our global organization.

Outside the biopharmaceutical industry, Linn led Corporate Responsibility at Panera Bread focusing on addressing food insecurity. Prior to that time, she held senior leadership roles at several global  communications firms supporting clients in a wide array of sectors.

Throughout her career, Debra has been passionate about helping others reach their full potential. As the head of Corporate Affairs, Debra is responsible for creating and advancing the overall strategy across Government Affairs, Corporate Communications, Patient Advocacy & Stakeholder Management, and Corporate Giving. Her role serves to unite the critical ongoing efforts of these teams in order to articulate a consistent narrative about Otsuka’s work and value to key external audiences, and provide a platform to help Otsuka defy limitation, so that others can too.

Prior to joining Otsuka, Debra was SVP Global Government Affairs and Public Policy at Teva Pharmaceuticals where she directed advocacy and policy development. Before joining Teva, Debra was an assignment editor at CNN involved in newsgathering around political Washington, D.C. after beginning her career working for several members in the U.S. Senate. As an active lobbyist for multiple advocacy groups and leading with an entrepreneurial spirit, Debra has dedicated her career to protecting and advancing the rights of those whose voices need to be heard.

Debra’s passion is in developing leaders as well as employees. She is constantly raising the bar by connecting and leveraging critical efforts and Otsuka-people across the enterprise with the goal of driving results that empower and motivate others. She is a certified executive coach with over 20 years of experience in training and developing others. Debra continues to drive herself to be a lifelong learner to nurture new ways to engage and reach Otsuka’s workforce.

Debra holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Marleen Litt, LCSW is the Director of Children’s Services, Behavioral Health in the New York Community & State plan at UnitedHealthcare, providing oversite to services carved in to managed care, State implementations, utilization management and internal case management. Prior to that Marleen was an Assistant Vice President at JCCA, a Children & Family provider agency in New York City for 12 years, a hospital social worker at Beth Israel Hospital and an outpatient clinician at Weill Cornell’s Adolescent Development program. She has a Master’s degree in Social Work from Yeshiva University and attended Ackerman Institute for the Family.

Dr. Iyer  is a NYS licensed Clinical Psychologist, and Director of Behavioral Health Population Management at Mount Sinai Medical Group. Dr. Iyer is a demonstrated leader in behavioral healthcare program development, implementation, and clinical and operational oversight. With experience in managing system transformations using state-of-the-art digital innovations in behavioral health technology, Dr. Iyer  has become an effective leader of multidisciplinary teams toward clinical efficacy and operational efficiency. 

Formerly as Clinical Director of the crisis contact center at Vibrant Emotional Health, Dr. Iyer provided oversight to clinical practices and training, and ensured adherence to best practices for all hotlines operated under Here to Help (H2H) Connect.

Dr. Iyer completed a postdoctoral fellowship in treating Military Sexual Trauma at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Long Beach, CA, and thereafter provided outpatient treatment to veterans at Northport VA Medical Center. She has an extensive background in treating victims of trauma, PTSD, and comorbid conditions related to traumatic experiences, particularly in the veteran population, as well as in culturally sensitive treatment, and collaborative, integrative, patient-centered care. Her professional affiliations include American Psychological Association (APA), New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA), and the South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS).

Wm. Jahmal Miller is Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Mercy Medical Group, a service of Dignity Health Medical Foundation. Previously, Miller served as System Vice President with CommonSpirit Health, where he had responsibility for national health equity and inclusion initiatives. Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) merged together as CommonSpirit Health in February 2019, creating a new nonprofit Catholic health system focused on advancing health for all people. Prior to joining CommonSpirit, Miller was Blue Shield of California’s inaugural Director of Corporate Reputation & Thought Leadership. Miller is recognized as a national thought leader and an expert on issues pertaining healthcare strategy, public health, health equity, mental health and public policy. He serves on the boards of directors for The Crocker Art Museum Association (CAMA), Valley Vision, the California Asian Chamber of Commerce, and is an active contributor to Landmark Ventures’ Social Innovation Summit. In addition to serving on the American Psychological Association’s  Presidential Health Equity Task Force since January 2021, Miller has been elected to The California Endowment’s board of directors, a not-for-profit foundation with $3.4 billion assets under management.

Appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2013, Miller served as the Deputy Director of the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Health Equity (OHE) and the State’s lead advisor on issues related to reducing health and mental health disparities and achieving health equity for all Californians. With the unique distinction of being confirmed by the California State Senate, he was responsible for leading the state’s mission on health equity to promote equitable social, economic and environmental conditions.

Earlier in his career, he served in multiple leadership roles with Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health, respectively. Over the years, his experience and passion have
also garnered international exposure, as Miller has traveled twice to Cuba as part of
American  delegations to study the Cuban health system, culture and history.

Miller is a graduate of Columbia University in New York City, with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Psychology. He also holds a Master of Health Administration (MHA)
degree from the University of Southern California. In May 2016, Western University of Health Sciences conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters (DHL) to Miller, recognizing his lifetime achievements in the field of health and human services. He has completed an Executive Fellowship with the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program in conjunction with the American Leadership Forum & CORO. Touro University recognized Miller in April 2017 with the Mosaic Achievement Award, recognizing his efforts to advance the cause of diversity and inclusion. He has also been recognized with other industry honors, including being named a “Top 40 under 40” awardee by the Sacramento Business Journal, “Top 100 under 50” awardee by Diversity MBA, and a Modern Healthcare Up & Comers awardee.

Miller is a native of Sacramento, California and is a proud husband and father. He is an active member of his local church, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. as
well as of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. Jahmal is the youngest of four boys and his parents have been married for 52 years.

Vikram Patel is The Pershing Square Professor of Global Health in the Blavatnik Institute’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is an adjunct professor at the Public Health Foundation of India, honorary professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and is a co-founder of Sangath, an Indian NGO which won the MacArthur Foundation’s International Prize for Creative and Effective Institutions in 2008 and the WHO Public Health Champion of India award in 2016. He is a co-chair of the Lancet Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System. 

John Palmieri, MD, MHA, is a Senior Medical Advisor at SAMHSA and currently serving as the Acting Director for the 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office. Prior to his arrival at SAMHSA, Dr. Palmieri was the Division Chief for Behavioral Healthcare at the Arlington County, Virginia, Department of Human Services. Dr. Palmieri is a licensed physician in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is Board Certified in Adult Psychiatry. He graduated from Brown University Medical School and completed his Adult Psychiatry Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. 

Kelly Davis is the Associate Vice President of Peer and Youth Advocacy at Mental Health America, where she works on the expansion of peer support and young adult leadership. She is passionate about lived experience-driven programs, policies, organizations, and research. Kelly has been awarded the Disruptive Innovator Award by the National Association of Peer Supporters and the National Peer Leader of the Year Award by Peerpocalypse. She is a certified yoga teacher and holds a certificate in Applied Positive Psychology from The Flourishing Center.

Kelly and her work have appeared in the New York Times, Teen Vogue, NBC Nightly News, NPR, and the White House. She recently earned her master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania where she served as a research assistant in the Perelman School of Medicine studying lived experience perspectives of inpatient psychiatric units. She is currently pursuing a certificate of specialization in mental health leadership from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern is a senior clinical psychologist who has expertise in acute residential and outpatient treatment settings for severe psychiatric conditions, including diagnosing and treating adolescents and young adults who struggle with multiple diagnoses. Dr. Bar-Halpern received her doctorate from the University of Hartford with the highest honors and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at McLean Hospital. Following, she became a lead psychologist at McLean’s Adolescent Acute Residential Program and an Instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, where she received the Partners Excellence Award.

Dr. Bar-Halpern provides consultation and professional workshops nationally and internationally about evidence-based treatment to psychiatric hospitals, mental health organizations, and schools. As an expert in the field of trauma, she helps schools and organizations in developing trauma-informed social-emotional programs to enhance safety, quality of life, and performance.

Dr. Bar-Halpern is the Chief Clinical Officer of CoBe Labs and is the Director of Intensive Outpatient Treatment Services at the Boston Child Study Center. She is also a trainer at McLean Hospital’s Institute for Trauma-Informed Systems Change and is the author of the book Becoming a Superhero: A Book for Children Who Experienced Trauma.

As a psychologist with experience that spans clinical, educational, and professional settings, Dr. Doreen Marshall has been engaged in suicide prevention and postvention work for more than 20 years. She is nationally known for her work in suicide prevention and postvention. She has provided suicide prevention expertise to mental health clinicians, school-based professionals, parents, firearms retailers, veterans, physicians, businesses and nonprofit organizations, among others. 

As Vice President of Mission Engagement, Dr. Marshall works to foster partnerships and collaborations with groups and organizations who are looking to strengthen their suicide prevention and postvention efforts. Dr. Marshall has authored several publications in suicide prevention and postvention and also served as a producer on several AFSP educational films.

Previous roles include Chair, Suicide Prevention Coalition of Georgia, Associate Director of The Link Counseling Center’s National Resource Center for Suicide Prevention and Aftercare and Suicide Prevention Trainer/Consultant for the Georgia Division of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Marshall also served as a psychologist in private practice for several years. Marshall holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Georgia State University, a master’s degree in Professional Counseling, and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and English from The College of New Jersey. She completed post-doctoral training at Georgia State University Counseling Center.

As the co-founder and CEO of Greenspace Health, Jeremy Weisz is revolutionizing the mental health industry through the implementation of Measurement-Based Care (MBC) in clinical settings. With a deep understanding of MBC’s potential to transform the quality of behavioral health services, Jeremy co-founded Greenspace to bridge the gap between research and its practical clinical implementation. Under his leadership, Greenspace has successfully supported over 400 organizations and health systems across North America in improving their behavioral health services through MBC.

Prior to co-founding Greenspace, Jeremy earned both his business and law degrees at the Ivey Business School and Western University, and worked as an M&A and corporate lawyer at Goodmans LLP. He is also a co-founder of True North Sports Camps and has held key business and product development roles at the Aequitas NEO Exchange. Jeremy’s passion for empowering individuals and service providers in the mental health care industry is evident in his unwavering dedication to improving the quality and effectiveness of behavioral health services through Greenspace Health. 

David Matteodo has served as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems (MABHS) since 1990. The MABHS is a state-wide organization of inpatient behavioral health facilities, including Private Psychiatric Hospitals, Substance Abuse Hospitals and Treatment Facilities; and Psychiatric Units in general hospitals. The MABHS consists of 50 facilities with over 2,500 beds, which is the vast majority of behavioral health hospitals and units in Massachusetts. Mr. Matteodo represents the interests of these facilities with Government, Insurers, and other interested parties on all issues related to Behavioral Health.

The MABHS is a non-profit 501 c (6) Trade Association whose primary mission is to promote the interests of inpatient behavioral health facilities in Massachusetts.

Prior to becoming Executive Director of MABHS Mr. Matteodo served on the staff of the Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee for 5 years, the last two of which he was Budget Director. Prior to his service on the Ways and Means staff, Mr. Matteodo was a Senior Research Analyst for the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Healthcare.

Mr. Matteodo is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Ct. and he also has a Masters Degree in Public Health from Boston University. 

Dr. Jones serves as the inaugural Executive Medical Director of Behavioral Health for Luminis Health, which includes Anne Arundel Medical Center, Doctors Community Medical Center, McNew Family Medical Center, and related community–based services. She provides leadership to all aspects of the Behavioral Health Service Line including strategic, operational, resource management, and educational efforts and supports the Luminis Health system leaders in their efforts to achieve the strategic initiatives defined as critical to a thriving health system focused on population health and total cost of care efforts. Prior to her arrival at Luminis Health, Dr. Aliya Jones served as the Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health’s (MDH) Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) where she served from January 2020 until May 2022. She was responsible for Maryland’s Public Behavioral Health System, serving over 300,000 individuals and ensuring stable functioning of the system throughout the COVID–19 pandemic. As Deputy Secretary, Dr. Jones initiated many significant improvements to Maryland’s Public Behavioral Health System, including in the areas of crisis services, behavioral health equity, peer recovery, involuntary commitment, and quality of service delivery. She served as the Chair of the Maryland Crisis Services Workgroup, the Co–Chair of the Opioid Death Disparity Task Force, the Vice Chair of the Maryland Commission on Health Equity and the Co–Lead for Maryland’s Monoclonal Antibody Initiative. Dr. Jones was appointed Deputy Secretary after having spent six years with Bon Secours Baltimore Health System as Chair, Department of Behavioral Health and Chief of Psychiatry, where she managed a team of cross functional professionals and oversaw the clinical as well as operational performance and quality improvement and growth of 19 departmental programs.

Philip Wang, M.D., Dr.P.H. is a Professor of the Practice of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical  School (HMS), and directs the new Learning Health Systems Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH); the Center helps systems collect and integrate data on patients’ outcomes to continuously improve access, quality, equity, and outcomes from their care. Phil completed his undergraduate degree in biochemistry, medical school, masters and doctoral degrees in epidemiology, as well as psychiatry residency and chief residency, all at Harvard University. He was a faculty member at HMS and BWH until 2006, when he went to serve as Deputy Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and then Deputy Medical Director and Director of Research for the American Psychiatric Association (APA) where he oversaw the recent text revision of DSM. He returned to HMS in 2019 and served as Chair and Chief of Psychiatry, as well as Chief Science Officer at Cambridge Health Alliance. He is currently Co-PI of an NIMH P50 ALACRITY Center grant, as well as an NIMH T32 Fellowship Training grant through the Harvard-T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He has also been awarded research grants from CMS, NIDA, AHRQ, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He has served on several NIH Study Sections, as well as the FDA Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee, FDA Medical Devices Advisory Committee, and FDA Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee.

Jill Borelli is a transformation leader with success in steering organizations through groundbreaking changes in clinical services, systems, and healthcare business processes that drive quality, regulatory compliance, efficiency, and profitable growth. Her expertise includes leading large scale, organization-wide quality infrastructure, strategy and Board-approved initiatives and is known for pragmatic development and operationalization of compliance and quality processes. Motivated by a deep commitment to collaboration and talent/team management, Jill Borelii achieves strong results, as demonstrated in her previous work at Tufts Health Plan and current work at Point32Health.

Wayne Young is the Chief Executive Officer of The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, the state-designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority for Harris County, Texas.  As the CEO of one of the largest behavioral health organizations in the nation, Wayne is passionate about the planning and delivery of large-scale behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities services to a population who rely upon safety net systems of care. Wayne previously served as the chair of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Behavioral Health Advisory Council and was recently appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas and Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas to the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health.  Wayne was honored to have received the Charley H. Shannon Advocate for Justice Award from NAMI Texas in 2019 as well as to have been named to Modern Healthcare’s list of Top 25 Innovators in 2019 and again 2021. 

Vandana is a Senior Director on Sutter Health’s Design and Innovation team. She supports the development of innovation strategy and design for initiatives across ambulatory and acute systems of care and leads incubation, launch and scale of new products and services through  collaborations across clinical service lines. Vandana is also the lead for Innovation for Sutter’s Mental Health and Addiction Care portfolio helping anchor transformations in behavioral health  through the voice and context of human experiences and new digital capabilities. Previously, she led strategic development for programs and grantmaking at The Health Trust, a Silicon Valley operating foundation that advances solutions for health and equity. She has also led organizational development and launched collaborative public-private initiatives at regional and international nonprofit organizations in health and human services and the arts. Vandana has previously served terms as a Board member with Art with Impact (mental health) and ORAM International (LGBTQI refugee rights). She is currently serving as a member on the California State Behavioral Health Planning Council.Vandana has a graduate degree in Mass Communications from the Mass Communications Research Center, New Delhi and an undergraduate degree in Clinical Psychology from Delhi University, India.

With over 10 years of experience in providing clinically effective and culturally responsive services to impacted communities, Deb Goldfarb now collaboratively leads a multi-disciplinary team as Director of Behavioral Health, Population Health at Boston Medical Centre. Through this clinical case management program, some of the most high risk and vulnerable individuals experiencing substance use, trauma, homelessness and who are also affected by social determinants of health, such as the criminal legal system, are supported. Within this setting, Deb works closely with local and state agencies and providers and currently sits on the City of Somerville Board on Housing Sustainability. Following her passion for advocacy at the community and legislative level, Deb Goldfarb co-chairs the NASW-MA Criminal Justice Committee and has formerly been a Board Member of the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition.  

David J. Wolfe, MD, MPH, joins MBHP from Mass General Brigham Newton-Wellesley Hospital, where he has served as Chair, Department of Psychiatry since 2018. Since 2007, he has worked as an attending psychiatrist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), where he held the roles of Associate Vice Chair for Clinical Services; Chief, Division of Ambulatory Services; Director, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Services, and Director of Psychiatric Education and Training. Dr. Wolfe completed his residency in the Harvard-Longwood Psychiatric Residency Training Program and a fellowship in psychosomatic medicine at BWH. He is a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine (MD and MPH) and a current MBA candidate at the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management. He holds a faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School.

Danny Freed is the Founder & CEO at Blueprint, a SaaS platform for Behavioral Health Organizations to easily measure, demonstrate, and improve quality of care at-scale. Prior to Blueprint, Danny led product and design at Trunk Club (acquired by Nordstrom) and co-founded Companion, an award-winning personal safety and security app used by millions of people worldwide, featured on CNN, The Today Show, Business Insider, and more.

Ariela Safira is the Founder and CEO of Real, a mental health care company building a new therapy model rooted in health equity. Starting her career at IDEO, she studied, researched and developed new concepts to approach mental health care and mental wellbeing. Building on her research, Ariela joined Cityblock, founding their first behavioral health clinic in Brooklyn, NY. Ariela earned a BS in Mathematics and Computational Science from Stanford University, where the impetus for her work in mental health care began. Later, she joined Columbia’s Clinical Psychology program to train as a therapist and left the program in 2019 to launch Real. She’s biked across multiple countries to fundraise for suicide prevention. Ariela is the recipient of the 2019 American Psychiatric Association’s Innovation Award, recognized as Forbes 30 Under 30, and Inc’s Top 100 Female Founders.

Ashley Monterrosa is a San Francisco native, educator, organizer, advocate, strategist, and storyteller.

In June of 2020, Ashley lost her brother, Sean Monterrosa, to state-sanctioned violence during the George Floyd uprisings- just a day before her twentieth birthday. Since the tragic loss of her brother, she has emerged as a social justice warrior championing causes such as public safety, social justice, and youth mental wellness.

Turning her pain into power, Ashley is a Program Coordinator at Horizons Unlimited of San Francisco and is teaching social justice issues, community organizing, leadership development, life skills, and policy advocacy to elementary, middle, and high school students.

Ashley is a firm believer that those most harmed are always closest to the solution. She also has been passionate about policy advocacy and has galvanized alongside many key California stakeholders to Pass SB 2- Police Decertification. Ashley currently is a San Francisco Chapter Coordinator for one of the largest survivor networks, Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice. Through lived experiences, she continues to advocate for safer communities and victims compensation for families affected by state sanctioned violence.

When Ashley isn’t fighting for justice and trying to better her community, you can catch her surfing, traveling, or hiking!

As the son of missionaries, Alex grew up in Peru working, playing and living with the troubled youth and desolate orphans of Lima’s slums. Alex’s childhood shaped his professional and personal aspirations.

Alex is the CEO of Embark Behavioral Health, an organization comprised of a full continuum of treatment programs across the country. Prior to this, Alex was the Managing Partner of Lia Capital Partners, focused on growing the impact of mission-driven businesses. Prior to then, Alex was the Associate Director of Firm Wide Operations – working directly for the President of Cambridge Associates, the world’s largest investment advisory firm to not for profits.

Alex has experience in public service having worked at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a U.S. government agency that mobilizes private capital to help solve critical world social and poverty challenges, and he worked on Capitol Hill in Washington DC for a Minnesota Congressman. Alex earned a Certificate of Public Management from Stanford University. And was a Rising Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a world-renowned public policy think tank.

Alex loves the ocean and is a certified open water diver. He has served as a Board Fellow at California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium. Alex is on the Board of Peruvian Partners, a nonprofit established to connect North Americans with Peruvian families that live in abject poverty.

Alex graduated with Honors from American University with both an Economic Theory and International Development degree and he earned an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business with a focus on Social Entrepreneurship.

Alex is an endurance athlete, lives in Phoenix, and is happily married to Maria-Paz, who has the most important job in the world, raising their two beautiful children.

Dr. Van Brunt has overseen the creation, development, and evaluation of clinical and patient-centered information systems implemented in over 500 healthcare institutions. He has authored several health-related articles and received the Health 2.0 Outstanding Leadership Award for 2022. He received his MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics and DrPH in Health Informatics from the University of California at Berkeley.

Adam Chekroud is the President and Co-founder of Spring Health, and an Assistant Professor Adjunct in Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine.

Adam’s research seeks to improve treatment outcomes in mental health, particularly depression. Specifically, he uses large datasets to develop predictive models to help clinicians make more effective treatment decisions. For example, he has developed statistical models that can: anticipate which patients will not initiate treatment; predict which treatment is most likely to help an individual patient (specific medications, psychotherapies, and exercise regimens); and estimate the risk of relapse upon recovery.