Faculty

Panel 2 - Advances in Health Tech and Innovation to Promote Mental Well-Being

Panelists

Alison Cerezo, PhD, is Senior Vice President of Research at mpathic, a leading conversational intelligence company that advances human understanding in the life sciences and healthcare. At mpathic, Alison brings over 15 years of experience as a health researcher and licensed psychologist to apply machine learning and natural language processing tools that support providers in delivering personalized, patient-centered care. Before joining mpathic, Alison served as Associate Professor of Clinical/Counseling Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where they lead California’s LBTQ+ Health Initiative (2022-2026), a $17.5 million program aimed at addressing health disparities among California residents. Alison’s recent work explores the relationships between stress, trauma, and alcohol use among women of color and sexual minority women via NIH funded projects.

Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD, MS, known as Dr. Bayo, is a nationally recognized health equity and maternal health advocate. She is the founder of Beyond Clinical Walls, and is the medical director of the urgent care clinics at Saint Mary's Health Network in Reno, NV. She recently graduated from the One Million Black Women In Business program sponsored by Goldman Sachs and NYU School of Business. She is a healthcare ally advocating for improving healthcare inequalities by utilizing health literacy and providing tangible solutions to reduce the cost of care for healthcare companies. Dr. Bayo's influence is not confined to her medical practice. Most recently, she was appointed to the national CDC Community and Public Engagement Workgroup. Her role as medical director at the Washoe County Sexual Assault Response Team is another example of her numerous medical contributions. Dr. Bayo's influence extends beyond her professional roles. As a national media contributor, prominent public speaker, and TEDx presenter, she has a platform to amplify her message. Her TEDx talk, 'Do No Harm,' has not only been a popular hit with over 2 million views but has also sparked a transformative conversation on maternal health and equity. You can find her @doctor.bayo on Instagram.

Nikole Benders-Hadi, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist and serves as the Chief Medical Officer at Talkspace, a prominent online and mobile mental health company based in New York City. In her role, she oversees the company's clinical strategy and operations, ensuring members receive top-quality care by prioritizing clinical excellence, outcomes, and research. Dr. Benders-Hadi is also at the forefront of innovation, leveraging technology to enhance access to mental health services and improve treatment outcomes. With over 18 years of experience as a practicing psychiatrist, she is committed to reducing mental health stigma and delivering high-quality treatment to help patients maintain a high quality of life. Her research and writing primarily focus on women's mental health issues, as well as patient-centered and recovery-focused treatment programs. Dr. Benders-Hadi previously held the position of Chief of Psychiatry at Rockland Psychiatric Center and was the Vice President of Behavioral Health at Included Health. She holds a B.A. in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, earned her medical degree and completed her residency at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and completed a fellowship in Public Psychiatry at Columbia University.

Erik Cardenas, is a healthcare technology leader with over 20 years of experience driving innovation to transform healthcare delivery. Recognized in 2023 by Modern Healthcare, Fierce Pharma, and Rock Health, he co-founded Zócalo Health to improve primary care access for Latino communities. Previously, Erik was a Technology Leader at Amazon Care, contributing to Amazon's global COVID-19 response and leading technical and operations teams. His career spans major health systems and startups like Tenet Healthcare and EverlyWell, where he implemented multi-million-dollar strategies and streamlined processes to cut costs. Named to Business Insider's "30 under 40" for healthcare innovation, Erik combines technical expertise with a focus on accessibility and transparency. He also serves on the Board of Directors at Rogers Behavioral Health, reinforcing his dedication to equitable healthcare.

Moderator/Discussant

Mia Keeys, DrPH, MA, is the Director of Global Health and Innovation at Hologic, Inc., a global medical innovations and women’s health company. Formerly, Mia was Chief of Staff and Health Policy Advisor to Congresswoman Robin Kelly, with whom she wrote the first comprehensive maternal health legislation in Congressional history, the MOMMAs Act, in 2017. Later, Mia became the inaugural Health Equity Policy and Advocacy Director of the American Medical Association’s Center for Health Equity. Mia has also been a public health researcher in South Africa and a U.S. Fulbright Fellow to Indonesia, where she worked with young people and their families for three years, while learning the national language. The National Minority Quality Forum recognizes Mia as a 40 Under 40 Leader in Minority Health. Mia holds a Master of Arts degree in Medical Sociology from Vanderbilt University, where she was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow through Meharry Medical College. She is now a doctoral candidate at George Washington University—her dissertation is on health equity, policy, and artificial intelligence (AI). Mia is also a published creative non-fiction writer, with training from the University of Oxford. Mia lives in Washington, D.C., where she serves as a Commissioner for Women, and has one son.

Weitzman Institute Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of the Weitzman Institute to ensure that Continuing Education (CE) activities are independent and free of commercial bias. To ensure educational content is objective, balanced, and guarantee content presented is in the best interest of its learners' and the public, the Weitzman Institute requires that everyone in a position to control educational content disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. An ineligible company is one whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Examples can be found at accme.org.

Faculty participating in a Weitzman Institute-sponsored activity must disclose to the planning committee and audience all financial or other relationship(s) with ineligible companies.