Future of Mental Healthcare West

Don Mordecai, MD, is the National Leader for Mental Health and Wellness at Kaiser Permanente. In this role, he leads national initiatives for Kaiser Permanente in the areas of care delivery, stigma reduction and the use of technology to improve outcomes in mental health and addiction care. A practicing child and adolescent psychiatrist, Dr. Mordecai works across the organization to identify and deliver innovative ways to improve the mental health and wellness of individuals and the larger Kaiser Permanente community. 

Prior to his current role, Dr. Mordecai was Director of Mental Health and Addiction Medicine for The Permanente Medical Group. He trained in child, adolescent and adult psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine and is Adjunct Clinical Professor of Psychiatry there. 

Jennifer Christian-Herman, Ph.D. is the vice president of Mind Body Medicine at Blue Shield of California, a nonprofit health plan with more than $22 billion in annual revenue serving 4.7 million members in the state’s commercial, individual, and government markets.

In this role, Dr. Christian-Herman leads an evolving portfolio of innovations that leverage technology and clinical interventions focused on lifestyle medicine, behavioral health, social drivers of health, and digital therapeutics, with a goal of improving member engagement and clinical outcomes. She is responsible for developing and leading strategy to transform total-person health for Blue Shield’s members and providers by
expanding access to behavioral health care, enhancing care coordination, integrating behavioral health into primary care, and offering robust upstream digital solutions rooted in lifestyle medicine.

Prior to joining Blue Shield, Dr. Christian-Herman was the executive director of Strategic Customer Engagement, Product Innovation and Evaluation at Kaiser Permanente. She previously served as the national vice president for Integrated Health Improvement at Health Net and as the regional director of Clinical Research for CIGNA Health. Dr. Christian-Herman has also held roles with Cerner Health Solutions and at UCLA’s
Neuropsychiatric Institute and Department of Psychology.

Dr. Christian-Herman has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a licensed clinical psychologist.

Dr. Christian-Herman is passionate about housing as a driver of health and is involved with issues of mental health in unhoused populations and permanent supportive housing through board roles and work with community agencies in Skidrow and Hollywood.

Neuroscientist and psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Insel is the national leader in mental health
research, policy, and technology. He previously served as the former director of the National
Institute of Mental Health from 2002 until 2015 and before joining Verily Life Sciences to lead a
team to develop technology for mental health care. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Board
at Steinberg Institute as well as Co-Founder and Executive Chair of Vanna Health. Vanna Health
works with community partners to help people with serious mental illness in their recovery.
He is the author of the book Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health, published
by Penguin Random House. With journalist co-founders, he recently launched MindSite News
(mindsitenews.org), a non-profit digital publication focused on mental health issues. Dr. Insel is
a member of the National Academy of Medicine and has received numerous national and
international awards, including honorary degrees in the U.S. and Europe.

As President of One Mind, Brandon Staglin channels his deep experience in leadership,
advocacy, and personal schizophrenia recovery to drive brain health research, services, and
media to heal lives. His best-known advocacy work has been for the growth of science-driven,
large-scale. continuously improving prevention and early intervention services for youth facing
serious psychiatric illness. He has published numerous articles in well-known journals and
earned numerous advocacy awards. Brandon has served on guiding councils of global, national,
and regional influence including for the World Economic Forum, the National Institute of
Mental Health, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, the State of California, Stop
Stigma Together, and Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a member of the CEO
Alliance for Mental Health. He has earned a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration and
Interprofessional Leadership from UCSF, and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Engineering Sciences
and Anthropology from Dartmouth College.

In her role as President and CEO, Rebecca oversees the organization’s efforts to advance evidence-based practices, policies, and programming for the equal treatment of mental health and addiction.

She brings over 20 years of experience collaborating with stakeholders through strategic partnerships that achieve shared goals and outcomes. Utilizing a vast professional network of experts and resources to forge partnerships, Rebecca is deeply focused on inspiring cultures of progress and innovation. Prior to joining The Forum, she was CEO of Cannex Scientific, responsible for commercializing a new anti-anxiety medication from Brigham/Harvard Medical School. Earlier in her career, as Vice Chancellor of Economic Partnerships at the University of Pittsburgh, she successfully expanded a network of global partnerships with financial groups, corporations, and government entities to support $850M+ in research. Rebecca was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of NorTech, where she led a national effort to create the Innovation Advocacy Council (IAC), which successfully secured a $50 million line item in the federal budget and contributed to the creation of a $1 billion Build Back Better regional challenge.

She has worked for several investment banks, most notably JPMorgan Chase in New York City, and has been engaged in global efforts and organizations including Clinton Global Initiative and the federally appointed National Advisory Council on Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Rebecca currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA with her family.

Dr. Clark Harvey is a psychologist and the Chief Executive Officer of the California Council of
Community Behavioral Health Agencies (CBHA). CBHA is a statewide advocacy organization
representing mental health and substance use disorder non-profit agencies that collectively
serve approximately one million Californians. She is also the Executive Director of the California
Access Coalition- a group of advocacy organizations and pharmaceutical industry companies
that advocates for patient access to behavioral health treatment. Dr. Clark Harvey has
previously served as Chief Consultant to the California State Assembly Committee on Business
and Professions, Principal Consultant to the Senate Committee on Business, Professions and
Economic Development, and a health policy consultant to the office of former Senator Curren
D. Price, Jr.
Prior to her work within the California Legislature, she completed her Ph.D. in Counseling
Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She completed her pre-doctoral fellowship

at the University of Southern California Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and a post-doctoral
fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles Mattel Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Clark Harvey has maintained an impressive record of leadership including serving on
national and local boards including the National Council of Mental Wellbeing, American
Psychological Association, Association of Black Psychologists, Sacramento County Public Health
Advisory Board and the Sacramento County Children’s Coalition. Dr. Clark Harvey has received
numerous local and national awards. In 2020, she was appointed by California Governor Gavin
Newsom to his Master Plan on Aging Advisory Committee and Behavioral Health Task Force. In
2021, she was appointed by California Lieutenant Governor, Eleni Kounalakis, to the California
Institute for Regenerative Medicine Board and by the federal Assistant Secretary for Mental
Health and Substance Use to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s
Advisory Committee for Women’s

Rob Waters is the founding editor of MindSite News, that only national news focused
exclusively on mental health reporting. He is an award-winning health and mental health
journalist who has worked as a staff reporter or editor at Bloomberg News, Time Inc. Health
and the Psychotherapy Networker. He was a contributing writer to Health Affairs and his
articles have also appeared in the Washington Post, Kaiser Health News, STAT, the Atlantic.com,
Mother Jones and many other outlets. He was a 2005 fellow with the Carter Center for Mental
Health Journalism. His reporting has focused on mental health, public health and the biotech
and pharmaceutical industries. In 2021, his mental health reporting was honored by the
Association of Health Care Journalists, the National Institute for Health Care Management, and
the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California.

David Lloyd is the Chief Policy Officer at The Kennedy Forum. Mr. Lloyd is an expert on a range of behavioral health policy issues, including insurance coverage and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. He has led successful state and federal policy initiatives, including enactment of nation-leading insurance legislation in California, that have increased access to mental health and addiction care for millions of Americans. Mr. Lloyd also has expertise on budget and tax issues and previously served as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow. He has a bachelor’s in History from Cornell University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Merrill leads inclusive policy and advocacy for Elevance Health. She works collaboratively with
advocates, community leaders, and stakeholders to ensure the diversity of individuals and personal
experiences inform Elevance Health’s health benefits approaches and healthcare programs. Ms.
Friedman advances the integration of the independent living philosophy, self-determination, lived
experience, and person-centeredness along with 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 Mental Health America (MHA), the
National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), the Institute for Exceptional Care (IEC), and EveryLife
Foundation, and is an Advisory Board member for Uplift and ADvancing States’ MLTSS Institute.

Dr. Doug Jacobs is the Chief Transformation Officer in the Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). At CMS he is helping lead Medicare’s efforts to promote value-based care, advance health equity, expand access to behavioral health, and encourage delivery system transformation. He most recently served as the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Innovation Officer for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, helping to oversee the state Medicaid and human services programs amidst the pandemic for the 16,000 person state agency. He was tapped by Governor Wolf to lead the state’s Whole Person Health Reform initiative, which included expanding value-based care, promoting health equity, and addressing the social determinants of health. Under his leadership, the Department of Human Services created Pennsylvania’s first equity incentive program in Medicaid, established new rules incorporate community-based organizations to address the social determinants of health, and oversaw Medicaid’s increasing movement towards value-based care. Dr. Jacobs is a practicing board-certified internal medicine physician and is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. He is also an avid writer, having published pieces in the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, New York Times, and Washington Post. He trained in Internal Medicine Primary Care at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and served as Chief Resident at the West Roxbury VA hospital, received his MD at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, his MPH at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and his Bachelor’s in Sciences from Brown University.

Dr. Karlin is a national leader in transforming and innovating behavioral health care in large public and privat health care systems. In his previous role as Vice President and Executive Medical Director of Behavioral Health for Highmark Health, the third largest health care delivery and financing system in the nation, he served as clinical lead for the enterprise-wide transformation of behavioral health care. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and serves as Scientific Advisor to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Dr. Karlin is a Past President of the Society of Clinical Psychology and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. He previously served for over 7 years as National Mental Health Director for Psychotherapy and Psychogeriatrics for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In this role, he led the nation’s largest implementation of more than 15 evidence-based psychological treatments and the establishment of new models of care as part of the transformation of the VA mental health care system to an evidence-based and recovery-oriented system of care. Dr. Karlin is the author of more than 100 publications and is the recipient of numerous national awards for his work to transform mental health and dementia care in large public and private systems, including the inaugural Award for Outstanding Contributions to Continuing Professional Development in Psychology from the American Psychological Association (APA), a Certificate of Commendation from the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Outstanding Administrator Award from the VA section of APA, the Spotlight Award from the APA Division of Psychologists in Public Service, and the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.

Since 2001, Oleg Tarkovsky has dedicated most of his life to ensuring the provision of social services to those in need – in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors – through direct services delivery, health promotion, education, and advocacy, with a particular emphasis on Mental Illness and Addictions. Most recently, he has joined CareFirst BCBS as the Director of Behavioral Health Service. Before CareFirst, Mr. Tarkovsky was the Division Director of Clinical Services at Mosaic Community Services an affiliate of the Sheppard Pratt Health System. Prior to Mosaic Community Services, Oleg served as second in command to the director of community treatment at the Woodbourne Center Inc., coordinating clinical programs at the diagnostic treatment center. He currently has a small private practice in Baltimore, treating adolescents and adults with mental and addiction disorders. Oleg received his psychology and counseling degrees – BS, MA from Towson University, and MBA in healthcare management from Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business school. He also teaches Psychology as an adjunct professor at Towson University.

Dr. Doug Nemecek is the chief medical executive for behavioral health quality, integration, and clinical operations.
He helps ensure network access and availability, patient safety, compliance with clinical guidelines, customer and
provider satisfaction, and utilization management. Additionally, he works directly with customers and clients to mold
operations and provides clinical expertise in new and existing behavioral health and integrated program
development.
Dr. Nemecek has helped establish workflows, protocols, and collaborative procedures to create a unified medical
management team across the company. He leads clinical initiatives and provides thought leadership to key issues
such as the national opioid epidemic, and loneliness. Additionally, he continues to develop unique relationships
with our network providers to ensure our customers and providers achieve optimal total health outcomes.
Dr. Nemecek previously served as Executive Medical Director for Allina Behavioral Health Services in Minneapolis,
overseeing five outpatient clinics and four inpatient mental health units with over 80 mental health providers. He
also has 10 years of clinical experience with an inpatient and outpatient psychiatric practice in Minneapolis.
Dr. Nemecek received his M.D. and completed his psychiatric residency at Washington University in St. Louis. He
is recognized as a Distinguished Fellow with the American Psychiatric Association, is board certified by the America
Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians and holds an M.B.A. from the University of St.
Thomas in Minneapolis. Dr. Nemecek currently serves on the Board of the Association for Behavioral Health and
Wellness. He also serves on the Scientific Board for Shatterproof, a national non-profit organization dedicated to
ending the devastation that addiction causes families.

Melissa Reilly, a change-making behavioral healthcare executive, currently serves Evernorth Behavioral Health as Chief Growth Officer, where she has spearheaded its strategy and business development initiatives since 2021. Melissa is passionate about growth and introducing new technology in the behavioral health space. She previously held executive roles in commercialization, digital product transformation and innovation at such companies as Digital Diagnostics, an AI-based, venture-backed startup; Optum Ventures, a digital health venture fund; Optum, Inc.; and parent corporation UnitedHealth Group. Melissa received her B.B.A. in Finance from James Madison University, and an M.B.A. and J.D. from Quinnipiac University.

Dr. Renee Schneider is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Lead in the Mental Health Center of
Excellence at Google. Dr. Schneider is passionate about the dissemination of evidence-based
interventions for mental health problems and has a special interest in supporting children,
teens, and parents. Her prior research focused on parental socialization of emotion in school-
age children, as well as examining relations among child abuse, intimate partner violence, and
substance use. She earned an undergraduate degree from UCLA and a doctoral degree from the
University of Georgia, before completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Palo Alto VA and
Stanford University School of Medicine. Before joining the team at Google, Dr. Schneider was
the VP of Clinical Quality at Lyra Health, where she conducted clinical research on the efficacy of
evidence-based approaches outside of academia. She also previously served as the VP of
Therapy at Brightline, a mental health start-up serving children, adolescents, and families. Dr.
Schneider lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two children, and dog.

Dr. Ronke Komolafe is an executive leader with over 15 years of healthcare experience creating business value through systemic programs, evaluation, strategic planning, market expansion, product development, and revenue generation. Dr. Ronke is the Board Chair and CEO of Integrated Physical & Behavioral Health Alliance, a business and market expansion Company that provides leadership and go-to-market strategies to healthcare and health IT Companies. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Integrated Health Magazine, a thought leadership magazine focusing on integrated health approaches to care delivery and digital health.

Dr. Komolafe is the Lead for the Mental Health Group of the Forbes Business Council, the Vice Chair of the American Association for Doctors of Behavioral Health, the Vice President of HIMSS South Texas Chapter, and an Associate Professor at Morehouse School of Medicine. She also serves as an Advisory Board Member and Associate Professor at Cumming Graduate Institute of Behavioral Health.

 Dr. Komolafe has extensive experience in mental health IT, Medicaid, leadership, healthcare strategy, business development, integrated care, and healthcare regulatory affairs. Dr. Komolafe is known for her multi-dimensional perspective on integrated and mental health and her passion for health innovation and advancement.

Dr. Young leads the departments of psychiatry at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and Zucker Hillside Hospital, and he oversees behavioral health at Northwell. Previously, he served as vice chair for education in the department of psychiatry at the Zucker School of Medicine and Zucker Hillside Hospital. He also directed the Psychiatry Residency Training Program at Zucker Hillside and chaired the Curriculum Committee, which oversees the four-year curriculum at the Zucker School of Medicine.

Prior to joining Northwell, Dr. Young served as associate professor of psychiatry at the UCSF School of Medicine. He held a number of roles including associate director of the Residency Training Program in the department of psychiatry (2005-2012), director of the medication management clinics at the Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics (2005-2012), and chair for the Advanced Studies Committee at the Zucker School of Medicine (with oversight over the Med4 curriculum, 2008-2012). While based at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center (2012-2013), he was the associate director for the Kaiser-UCSF Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship and a physician investigator with the Behavioral Health Research Initiative at Kaiser’s Northern California Division of Research. During this time, he also helped create a primary care consult service supporting over 120 primary care physicians.

Dr. Young’s research has focused on improving quality and patient safety in the clinical learning workplace. In particular, he has made important contributions to multiple literatures, including cognitive load, handoffs and patient safety; the ‘July Effect’; professional identity formation; and workplace-based assessment in psychiatry. He has published extensively in the leading medical education journals. He served as associate editor for AHRQ’s WebM&M (2009-2013) and now serves as associate editor for Perspectives on Medical Education and as an invited member of the International Competency-Based Medical Education Collaborative. Throughout his career, he has participated in local patient safety committees and led efforts to incorporate quality improvement processes into ambulatory settings.

Dr. Young has held leadership roles in numerous medical education organizations. He is a former program chair and chair of the Assessment Committee and the current secretary and member of the Steering Committee and executive council of the Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training. He was a member of the National Board of Medical Examiner’s (USMLE’s) inaugural Patient Safety Test Materials Development Committee and now serves on the Evidence Based Medicine Interdisciplinary Review Committee. In July 2017, he was chosen to serve on the ACGME Psychiatry Review Committee.

Prior to his career in medicine, he did human rights work in southern Africa and Asia and served as legislative director for an assemblywoman in the California State Legislature where he helped lead several important health policy initiatives.

He received a BA (magna cum laude) from Harvard University with a double concentration in social studies and the comparative study of religion. He earned a master’s degree in public policy from the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and a PhD in health professional education from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He obtained his MD from the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine, where he also completed residency training in general adult psychiatry.

Dr. DiCasimirro served as vice president and regional medical director at Lucet before his
promotion to chief medical officer. Before joining Lucet, he was the medical director for
PerformCare, the behavioral health arm of Amerihealth Caritas. He also spent over four years
as an Optum/United Healthcare associate medical director. In the early 2000s, he was the
primary psychiatric consultant for the Pennsylvania Bureau of Program Integrity, working
extensively with facility-based providers throughout the Commonwealth. His experience also
extends to correctional psychiatry, culminating with a stint as the statewide psychiatric director
for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
Board certified in general psychiatry and licensed in Pennsylvania, Iowa, Arizona, Arkansas,
Kansas, Missouri, the District of Columbia, South Carolina, Louisiana, and New Jersey, Dr.
DiCasimirro has worked in all levels of care in psychiatry and substance use for more than 25
years.
Dr. DiCasimirro holds a Bachelor of Arts from Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania and
graduated with honors from Des Moines University, where he obtained his D.O. Aside from a
passion for healthcare, he has had a life-long love affair with theater. He’s been fortunate to act
and direct for several small theaters near his home in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Caroline Fenkel, DSW, LCSW is a thought leader in the adolescent and young adult
substance abuse treatment field. Currently, Dr. Fenkel co-founded and serves as Chief
Clinical Officer of Charlie Health. Caroline began her career by combining her love for
horses with her desire to help others by providing equine-assisted psychotherapy.
Caroline earned her masters from Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and
Social Research and began providing treatment at all levels of care, including
detoxification units, residential treatment, partial hospitalization and outpatient
treatment.

Seasoned Healthcare Executive with extensive managed care and hospital management experience in both public and private sector organizations.Proven start-up and business development acumen, defining achieveable goals and transitioning into day to day management in both physical and behavioral health care delivery systems. Successful contract strategy, negotiations and development of full continuum of provider networks. Excel in business operations from strategic development, implementaion, and employee engagement to drive financial results.

Elicia has over 25 years of experience leading inpatient behavioral health hospitals and services. She has served as the CEO of psychiatric hospitals in Texas and Colorado, providing inpatient and ambulatory behavioral health and psychiatric services. She has served as a Group CEO in the Colorado market, has overseen residential treatment facilities and outpatient services, and has directed legislative advocacy and pushed for policy changes to improve behavioral health care.

Currently, as the Vice President of the Behavioral Health Service Line, Elicia coordinates existing behavioral health services throughout the UCHealth system in addition to overseeing the expansion of services. UCHealth is investing more than $150 million in behavioral health with a focus to expand the integration of behavioral health services in primary care locations, expand virtual behavioral health and telepsych services, and build a new inpatient behavioral health unit at University of Colorado Hospital.

Elicia is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Oklahoma State University. 

Faye Sahai is Founding Managing Partner at Telosity Ventures, an early- stage venture capital fund investing in digital wellness and mental health.

Prior, she has 25+ years of experience in healthcare, financial institutions, and insurance innovation and investment executive at Kaiser Permanente, Schwab, AIG, Blue Shield, and Deloitte Consulting and founded 3 of her own startups. She has served as an Advisor and Board member to over a dozen companies including Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, UCSF Catalyst, Berger Institute Vice Chair, ANA Innovation Advisory, Samsung Emerging Technology Advisory, Innovation Executive Forum, Summer Search, Autonomous ID, Somnology MD, Ayogo Health, Bridge Asia, and Ascend Leadership NorCal Chair.

Faye has been recognized by Insurance Business Hot 100 and Elite Women in Insurance Business America, Tech for Good Women in Tech, Ascend Leadership Award, Computer World’s Top Premier IT Leaders, Stevie Awards Women helping Women, Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Kaiser Permanente Asian Community and Innovation Enterprise Best Ideation Award.

A sought-after speaker, Faye has spoken to 60+ stages on global corporate innovation in technology, health care, and insuretech to thousands of people. Faye has presented at Consumer Electronic Show CES, Chief Innovation Officer Summit, Venture Beat, Computer World, IDG Agenda 20, The World Summit, Women VC, UCLA, Monte Jade Science and Technology, Institute for Health Technology Transformation, C200, Alchemist Accelerator, Plug & Play, EY Disruptive Innovation, Innovation Enterprise, Silicon Valley Innovation Summit, Worth Conference, Insure Disrupt, CDX Silicon Valley Brand Innovation Summit, NACD, Founders Institute, Future Proofing, Marsh ACRG, Ascend Leadership, ALA, Tech Match, 100 WF, Fin Women, Women in IT, WITI, Financial Services Women, Anita Borg, UC Berkeley, and others. Faye Sahai was an inaugural member of FRESH Speakers Academy, an exclusive digital training program powered by FRESH Speakers, and has been trained and certified for the public stage.

Dr. Koshy has been Chair of Chiefs for the Mental Health service line at Kaiser Permanente Northern California since 2020. As Chair, she strives to translate KP’s mission to provide high quality, outcomes driven care for an entire population of members into the field of mental health.  Under her leadership, the service line has created and expanded several population based programs in Mental Health, including collaborative care models for Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI), and mild to moderate depression and anxiety.

Dr. Koshy has held various leadership roles within KP prior to her current role , including Assistant Chief and Chief of the local department of Psychiatry at South Sacramento. Prior to her career at KP, she trained at Emory University for her General Psychiatry residency, and obtained her M.D. from Rush University in Chicago. She also has an M.A. in bioethics from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Dr Dhillon is a practicing Outpatient Adult Psychiatrist with The Permanente Medical Group. He has been with the Medical Group for the last 11 years. Along with practicing medicine, he has also served in various administrative roles , supporting Kaiser Permanente’s Mental Health Service line, both regionally and locally at his medical Center. Since 2019, he has served as the Associate Chair for Access and Operations, The Interim Chair for Mental Health, and most recently, as the Medical Director for Virtual Care Programs. Prior to that, at his home medical center in Central Valley, Dr. Dhillon has served as an Assistant Chief and then Chief of Psychiatry, following by his tenure as the Assistant Physician in Chief for Access and Operations.

Roger Dowdy serves as Vice President of Mental Health Population Health Management at Providence, one of the largest non-profit health systems in the country with 120,000 employees, 52 hospitals, 1,085 clinics and a comprehensive range of health and social services across Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. He also serves as Chief Operating Officer for Providence’s Well Being Trust, a $100 million endowment, strategic think-tank and catalyst for change formed in 2016 (when Providence Health Care System and St. Joseph Health merged) to address the mental, social, and spiritual health of the communities Providence services. In these roles, he leads initiatives around behavioral health clinical improvement, measurement-based care, digital therapeutics, staff/caregiver mental wellness and value-based behavioral health care. In addition, he co- chairs the system-wide, Providence Behavioral Health Leadership Council.

Roger has over 30 years of experience as a clinician and administrator in the health care and non-profit sector. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, he worked extensively with individuals struggling with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Early in his career he served as an Emergency Room Psychiatric Social Work at Harborview Medical Center (the only level-one trauma center in Washington State) and a King County Designated Crisis Responder, conducting involuntary crisis commitment evaluations.

As an administrator, Roger has led the overall coordination of large scale, clinic operations and health plan functions in multiple organizations, including the integration of behavioral health services into primary care. He has previously served in leadership roles at Virginia Mason Medical Center, VA Puget Sound Healthcare System and Neighborcare Health (a large Federally Qualified Health Center in the Puget Sound region). Prior to joining Providence, Roger served as Director of Mental Health and Wellness at Kaiser Permanente of Washington where he had responsibility for the behavioral health care delivery system as well as overall coordination of health plan functions and behavioral health network management.

Roger holds a Master of Health Administration from the University of Washington and a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work where he teaches graduate-level, health policy classes. He is a board member of Sound (one of the largest community mental health providers in Washington State) where he was first employed as a mental health case manager over thirty years ago.

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.

Responsible for leading the development of our medical policies, protocols, criteria, and guidelines, Jim plays a key part in ensuring we deliver industry best practices. A proven visionary leader who turns challenges into opportunities, he specializes in organizational healthcare consulting and hospital and behavioral health system leadership.

Jim has more than 30 years of healthcare experience in the commercial and military arenas. Prior to joining the team, James served as the Executive Medical Director for Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. There he worked with clinical and business partners to facilitate the optimization of a comprehensive provider network that was member-centric and cost-effective.

Jim proudly served in the United States Army. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Psychology from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. Jim also received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado and his Doctor of Medicine from the Uniformed Services University.

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.

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. 

Alex Briscoe has over 25 years of experience in directly delivering and/or administering services to low income children and families. He has worked in special education classrooms, level 1 pediatric centers, juvenile detention and child welfare, and has run 911 systems. Across all of these settings Alex has managed public financing and Medicaid reimbursements. 

In 2009, Alex was appointed director of the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency where he led one of the state’s largest public health systems, overseeing health and hospital systems, public health, behavioral health, and environmental health departments with an annual budget of $700 million and 6,200 FTE contracted and civil service staff. Before joining the county, Alex was the director of the Chappell Hayes Health Center at McClymonds High School in West Oakland, a satellite outpatient center of Children’s Hospital and Research Center, and his work helped design the nexus of public health and public education. Alex has served on the Alameda County First Five Commission, The Alameda Alliance, and The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and The Uninsured, as well as a number of other public and private boards and commissions. He has advised or collaborated with a number of local and national foundations including The Atlantic Philanthropies, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, The California Endowment, and most recently with Tipping Point Community. He has specialized in Medicaid policy and administration, emergency medical services, youth voice and crisis counseling, and safety net design and administration.

Nancy Brown, PhD, MA, EdS, ACE Certified Health Coach, Director, Sutter Bay Medical Foundation Behavioral Health/Psychiatry Service Line. Dr. Brown is a psychologist whose career has included health education, teaching at several bay area universities, NIH and CDC-funded research on HIV, Asthma, and Chronic Diseases, and managing the Community Health Resource Centers and the Medical Library at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. In her current role, Nancy directs the Behavioral Health/Psychiatry Service Line which includes an MD Residency, pre-license MSW/MFT program, and a shorter-term Counseling Program with traditional outpatient departments (with more than 65,000 appointments a year) across Sutter Health in Northern California. 

Madhuri Jha, MPH, LCSW (she/hers) is a nationally recognized clinical social work and public health professional with experience providing thought leadership, training/education, consultation and direct clinical practice to programs focused on health equity, behavioral health systems strengthening, trauma and resiliency, mental health epidemiology and community capacity building. She currently serves as the Vice President of Science, Equity, and Integration at ETR. Ms. Jha is also practicing psychotherapist in private practice with specific expertise in trauma and stressor-related disorders, psychosis, acute symptom management, cognitive behavioral therapy, and risk assessment and de-escalation. Prior to joining ETR, she was the Director of the Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity, an entity of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine, where she led national discourse, programming and research focused on advancing equity in policies and services that reach people living with or at risk for adverse behavioral health outcomes. She gained national recognition for her scientific and policy leadership on embedding equity into 9-8-8, the national mental health crisis emergency line that launched in July 2022. Ms. Jha joined Morehouse School of Medicine after over a decade of clinical and social service in New York City and Washington, DC. Her experiences as a direct service provider have informed her foundational understanding and framing on health equity, including being the Director of a New York City mobile behavioral health unit during the peak of COVID-19. She has worked locally, nationally and internationally as a leader of donor-funded health programs reaching vulnerable and high-risk communities. Her work history spans a diverse breadth of on the ground experience in inpatient, outpatient, school-based, community-based and mobile psychiatric treatment settings. In addition to these titles, she is a professor of mental health policy at New York University and has lectured at many Universities across the United States. She completed both a Master of Public Health (MPH) and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from New York University and received her Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in International Affairs from George Washington University, where she was also a Division 1 NCAA scholarship athlete. Ms. Jha is a 2022 National Minority Quality Forum 40 Under 40 Leader in Minority Health Awardee.

Population Health at Oak Street Health. In her role as a clinical social worker she is responsible for Behavioral Health and Delegated Care Management services within the care model. Previously Katherine was the Chief Population Health Officer at PCC Community Wellness Center, a federally qualified health center. Katherine has worked with primary care programs in underserved areas more than 20 years. Katherine is a graduate from University of Michigan (BA ‘04) and University of Chicago (AM ’07).

Katherine completed a leadership development curriculum through the Health Care Executive Program sponsored by Johnson & Johnson at UCLA Anderson School of Business. She is also an alum of AmeriCorps and National Health Service Corps programs. Past relevant publications include: Now What? Effects of On-Site Assessment on Treatment Entry After Perinatal Depression Screening in the Journal of Women’s Health and  What did you say?: How to talk to providers and stay integrated. Communication, tips for Behavioral Health and Primary Care Clinicians in Health Source.

Tammer Attallah serves as the Executive Clinical Director for Intermountain Healthcare’s Behavioral Health Clinical Program.  Tammer Attallah has over 25 years’ experience in mental health and substance use disorder services across the lifespan. He holds a master’s in social work and business administration from the University of Utah.  

For 14 of those years, he led multiple programs and initiatives in a tri-county community mental health center serving Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties in Utah. Notably, he launched a system wide school mental health programming across multiple school districts.  He led multiple implementations of systemwide evidence-based treatment models across the services’ continuum. Furthermore, he also led the organization’s cultural competency program that focused on removing internal and external barriers to care from disenfranchised community members. 

Over the 10 nine years at Intermountain Healthcare, he also served as the Administrative Director of Behavioral Health Services at Primary Children’s Hospital and then the Director of Community Services for Children’s Health Pediatric Behavioral Health Service Line where he led a continuum of behavioral health services and more recently he focused in community based service to enhance coordination and continuity.

Additionally, he served on community and state boards to include Utah’s Salt Lake County Council on Diversity Affairs, the Division of Occupation and Professional Social Work Licensing Board. Currently, he serves on National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Utah Chapter Board, Impact Clinic Board, a nonprofit free mental health clinic treating low-income and the uninsured in Utah, University of Utah’s College of Social Work Community Advisory Board and chairs Salt Lake County’s System of Care Advisory Council.

Over the course of his leadership career, he emphasizes the value of delivering evidence based behavioral health care.  From this cornerstone, a clear vision and collaboration create innovations that ultimately overcome the barriers to those we serve to meet our mission.

Tammer enjoys spending time with his partner and two daughters. He also appreciates his time in the outdoors cycling and skiing.

Dr. Mason Turner is the Senior Medical Director for Behavioral Health for Intermountain Healthcare based in Salt Lake City, UT. 

His leadership in mental health care focuses on the development and evolution of strategic innovations in behavioral health care delivery that enhance quality of care and clinical excellence and are guided by principles of equity and inclusion of the patient/consumer voice into all aspects of the behavioral healthcare ecosystem. 

Including integration initiatives which link mental health care and addiction medicine services with both primary and specialty medical care, as well as supporting innovative technological means of reaching patients for treatment of behavioral health conditions, he is also committed to enhancing access for behavioral health care services to all those who need it. Additionally, he has extensive experience in promoting employee health and well-being in a variety of corporate and healthcare sectors.

As a clinician, he specializes in addiction medicine, consult-liaison psychiatry and treatment of personality disorders. He has received extensive training in resiliency-and systems-based approaches for improving the mental health and well-being of refugees, asylum seekers and torture survivors.

Dr. Turner also served as a former Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco Medical School, where he taught medical students at all levels the practice of interviewing patients and clinical reasoning skills. He also served as adjunct faculty at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Dr. Turner earned his AB degree in psychology from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, and completed his MD degree at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center/ Parkland Hospital in Dallas, TX. He completed his residency in psychiatry at Harvard University Medical School through Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital, in Boston, MA, with additional training in psychotherapy at the Center for Psychoanalytic Studies at Massachusetts General Hospital and addiction psychiatry at McLean Hospital. He is board certified in Psychiatry and certified in Addiction Medicine through the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

Marjorie Morrison is the CEO and co-founder of Psych Hub, the world’s largest mental health education platform. A visionary and passionate pioneer in the mental health space, Morrison co-founded Psych Hub with Patrick J. Kennedy to connect people with best-in-class online education for mental health practitioners, allies, and consumers to learn more about some of our Nation’s most vexing mental health challenges. In her current role, Morrison is reimagining behavioral health through intentional and thoughtful design. By leveraging the digital space and combining clinical research with the art of storytelling, her mission is to provide engaging, evidence-based content on mental health that is easily accessible to everyone.

Psych Hub’s fast-growing audience of learners has had over 10 million views on their content, developed over 1000 educational assets, and gained over 800 partners along the way. These committed partners, spanning the range of Fortune 100 companies, government agencies, universities, and non-profits, create not only a powerful distribution network but also share a common belief in the efficacy of Psych Hub’s content.

Prior to launching Psych Hub, Morrison was the founder and CEO of PsychArmor Institute, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, committed to bridging the military-civilian divide by developing, promoting, and distributing free online courses covering a wide range of topics important to those who serve military service members and their families. Under Morrison’s leadership, PsychArmor flourished and is now widely recognized as the trusted and leading expert for “Best-in-Class” resources regarding the understanding of and solutions to complex and unique military veteran issues.

Marjorie’s focus on supporting members of the military and their communities was first developed in the field after she spent years writing and implementing a revolutionary proactive counseling program for the U.S. Marines. This implementation research was utilized to create a groundbreaking solution to approach military mental health care.

Morrison is a CA Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, a CA Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, a PPS-credentialed School Psychologist, and the author of The Inside Battle: Our Military Mental Health Crisis. As a renowned subject matter expert, she has been featured numerous times by national media giants such as BBC, NBC, FOX, CBS, CNN, and NPR, along with being a contributing writer for multiple outlets including TIME, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, and Huffington Post. Morrison has received numerous awards for her advocacy and leadership. She is a native of California who currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee, and is the mother of three adult children: Jacob, Lindsey, and Charlie.

Jonathan Seltzer serves as President of SimplePractice, an EngageSmart solution (NYSE: ESMT), — an industry-leading SaaS practice management and EHR platform serving more than 178,000 health and wellness professionals. Jonathan began working with SimplePractice in 2019 to assist with corporate strategy and M&A initiatives and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2020 and most recently, President in 2021. Prior to SimplePractice and EngageSmart, Jonathan served as Chief Financial of CLEAResult, a technology-enabled services company. Prior to CLEAResult, Jonathan spent over 15 years in both private equity and investment banking at KRG Capital Partners, Wachovia Securities and Piper Jaffray & Co.

Marissa “Missy” Pittard leads growth and strategic partnerships at Big Health, a digital therapeutics company providing safe and effective non-drug alternatives for the most common mental health conditions including insomnia, anxiety, and adolescent depression. Missy has spent her career focused on driving innovation in behavioral health. She co-founded and grew Beaming Health, a platform that helps neurodiverse families find great care. She took the company from an idea to a platform supporting millions of families in less than 2 years, after winning funding from the Kennedy Foundation, Stanford’s Center for Biodesign, and more.

She spent time at McKinsey where she advised health plans, governments, and health systems on strategies to address behavioral health and social determinants. She also worked in McKinsey’s Healthcare Reform Center, where she collaborated closely with leaders from HHS, CMS, and the FDA to help healthcare leaders navigate the evolving regulatory landscape.

Missy holds an MBA from Stanford University, and B.S. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering from Georgia Tech. She currently advises and mentors early-stage digital health start-ups in the areas of growth, brand building, and GTM strategy. Beyond the workplace, she’s a trauma-informed yoga instructor and teaches in prisons as part of the Prison Yoga Project.

Jeanne Rosenberger serves as Santa Clara University’s Chief Student Affairs Officer, focused on the integration of students’ experiences inside and outside the classroom.

Vice Provost Rosenberger provides leadership in developing innovative co-curricular programs and student support services that respond to the needs of a diverse and dynamic student body. As a primary advocate for student participation in the life of the University, she cultivates open dialogue opportunities that help shape institutional decision-making and ensure inclusion of student voices in decisions. She is a vocal advocate for the transformation of mental health services and programs to ensure that every student receives the support that they need, when they need it.

Prior to her appointment as Vice Provost, she served as the University’s Dean of Students and Director of the Center for Student Leadership. Before joining Santa Clara, she worked in Campus Life at California State University Northridge. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Gonzaga University and a Master of Arts at Bowling Green State University.

Banyan is a 16-year-old activist for men’s mental health who is a student-athlete at Arroyo Grande High School. He is proud to be a member of his school’s cultural and diversity committee and head of spirit for its Associated Student Body. Banyan has been a part of AIM for a year so far and plans to continue spreading his knowledge and insight on creating better environments for men and their mental health needs. 

Taylan is a 17-year-old early high school graduate who has always strived for academic stimulation at a faster pace than his school system has to offer. He has volunteered extensively throughout the community with AIM Youth Mental Health, the Carmel Youth Center, and Youth Music Monterey, benefitting many nonprofit organizations in the area focused on children, arts, and mental health.

Kassandra Poles is a 24 year old Bay Area native, community college student, and youth mental health advocate. Having been a recipient of mental health care services for more than half of her life, she is committed to fighting to make a change in social inequality by advocating for youth involvement and more accessible substance abuse resources, especially for those under 30. She remains resilient and wants to empower others by showing them it doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past, you are in the driver’s seat, and you can make your life what you want it to be. When she’s not occupied with work or travel, she’ll either be reading, cooking, painting her nails, or cuddling with her partner and their two cats, Buster and Ash. Read more about Kassy in her recent YOUTH MOVES blog post.

Sushant Gupta is a healthcare executive and entrepreneur with over 14 years of experience across marketing, technology, and strategy. He currently serves as Co-Founder and CEO of Meomind, an innovative digital mental health enterprise expanding access to therapy worldwide.

During the most difficult times of Sushant’s life, his therapist served as a source of strength and solace. Therefore, Sushant has made it his mission to guarantee everybody has access to high quality therapy. This ambition spurred him into action and, together with his co-founders, Meomind was born.

Previously, Sushant was a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company where he advised public health, medical devices and life sciences clients on strategy, operations, and digital transformation. He then joined Abbott Laboratories overseeing marketing teams and commercial strategy.

After Abbott, Sushant served Philips Healthcare as a senior leader in Strategy and Alliances for Philips’ digital health and devices business. He was later an Investor at Gilde Venture Capital, focused on venture and growth investments in healthcare technology.

Sushant then joined Optum (part of UnitedHealth Group) and led product management and go- to-market strategy for a suite of mental health solutions serving enterprise clients.

Sushant holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He also has an MS and BS in Computer Science from IIT Kharagpur. With his blend of healthcare expertise and passion for innovation, Sushant leads Meomind in its mission to pioneer the future of mental healthcare.

Joao trained as a medical doctor at London’s Imperial College. His career has transitioned from medicine to various roles in the venture ecosystem from investing to venture building. Joao is now at re.Mind Capital, a specialized venture fund focused on mental and brain health—a field that resonates deeply with his academic interests and research background. Joao is interested in how we can drive significant innovation at scale that creates impact at the patient’s bedside.

Dr. Cory Johnson is an Assistant Professor and Director of Behavioral Medicine at University of California, San Francisco within the Department of Family & Community Medicine. He has completed additional fellowship training in Integrated Behavioral Health & Family Systems Therapy. Within his various roles, he runs a behavioral medicine clinic providing care at the intersection of chronic disease and behavioral health and teaches family medicine residents family therapy skills that can be easily integrated into their primary care practice. He also is the lead physician for the stimulant use disorder & contingency management program at the Bridge Clinic at Zuckerberg San Francisco General and provides primary care to all people of all ages at the hospital’s Family Health Center. As a physician within the San Francisco Department of Public Health, he sees both the impact of siloed behavioral health care and the promises of value-based care.