Faculty

Keynote 1 - Rethinking American Indian Community Mental Health: Lessons, Challenges, & Opportunities

Joseph P. Gone, Ph.D., MA, is an international expert in the psychology and mental health of American Indians and other Indigenous Peoples. A professor at Harvard University, Dr. Gone has collaborated with tribal communities for 30 years to critique conventional mental health services and harness traditional culture and spirituality for advancing Indigenous well-being. As a clinical-community psychologist and action researcher, he has published over 100 scientific articles, and received recognition in his fields through 25 fellowships and career awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. An enrolled member of the Aaniiih-Gros Ventre Tribal Nation of Montana, he also served briefly as the Chief Administrative Officer for the Fort Belknap Indian reservation. He is the immediate Past President of the Society of Indian Psychologists. In 2023, Dr. Gone received a Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation.

 

Panel 1 - Prioritizing Patients' Mental Well-Being and the Healthcare Workforce that Serves Them

Panelists

Aday Adetosoye, Ph.D., is a seasoned public health leader with nearly 25 years of experience spanning program management, leadership development, and organizational transformation. With a career rooted in humane and ethical leadership, Dr. Adetosoye has provided executive-level oversight to public health initiatives in over 40 countries, collaborating with USG agencies, multilateral bodies, host country governments, and other national actors. She has successfully led diverse teams, built sustainable partnerships, and managed critical health programs among underserved populations around the world. As the founder of 1099 Impact Street, LLC, a woman-owned consulting firm, Dr. Adetosoye empowers leaders and organizations to achieve measurable and sustainable results through empathetic leadership. A Maxwell Leadership Certified Coach and Trainer, she is passionate about training teams and leaders, inspiring them to achieve their goals with purpose and integrity. Dr. Adetosoye regularly addresses current affairs and topics such as strengthening systems in healthcare, equity in global health, and effective leadership. She is committed to creating lasting impact by empowering leaders to make a difference where it matters most.

 

Gary Taylor, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Three-Time Published Author, Speaker and Facilitator, Assistant Professor, Doctoral Student (University of Kentucky: College of Social Work), and Deacon. He is from and resides in Caroline County, Virginia, with his wife, daughter, and son. He has twelve years of experience in Mental Health and formerly provided individual therapy to Black men and women. His research includes exploring cultural-specific strategies to address suicide prevention among Black men and supporting their mental health. He also consults businesses and community agencies about racial equity initiatives and is an Assistant Professor in the Social Work Department at Virginia State University. He blends his clinical expertise with lived experience to meet people where they are, via a social and racial justice lens. Trey is also a podcaster, sneakerhead, car enthusiast and coffee lover!

 

Janet Stickmon is a professor, author, and wellness consultant who has been an educator for over 26 years. Stickmon is a professor of Ethnic Studies and Humanities at Napa Valley College where she has been teaching for 19 years. She is also the founding Program Coordinator of the Humanities, Ethnic Studies, and Philosophy Departments and the founding Program Coordinator of The Cultural Center at Napa Valley College. Stickmon is the author of Crushing Soft Rubies—A Memoir, Midnight Peaches, Two O’clock Patience—A Collection of Essays, Poems, and Short Stories on Womanhood and the Spirit, and To Black Parents Visiting Earth: Raising Black Children in the 21st Century. Stickmon’s essays have appeared in The Huffington Post, Mutha Magazine, The Sage Encyclopedia of Filipina/x/o American Studies, Read to Write Stories, Positively Filipino, and Red and Yellow, Black and Brown: Decentering Whiteness in Mixed Race Studies (Rutgers University Press, 2017). She also has over 26 years experience practicing meditation and integrating mindfulness practices throughout all her courses. Janet Stickmon is the founder of CenterJoyPWR®: Strategies for Healing Racial Battle Fatigue—an online experience for professionals of color who want to heal their racial battle fatigue and center joy in their lives.

 

G. Rumay Alexander, EdD, RN, FAAN, is the American Nurses Association Senior Advisor. She also is a professor in the School of Nursing, Assistant Dean of Relational Excellence at the Adams School of Dentistry and formerly the Associate Vice -Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion/ Chief Diversity Officer of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At the end of 2019, she completed her presidency of the National League for Nursing, the national voice for nursing education which has over 40,000 nurse educators and 1200 schools of nursing. In February of 2021, she became the American Nurses Association’s Scholar-In-Residence and advises the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing. Additionally, Dr. Alexander is a board member of The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit watchdog organization that serves as a voice for health care consumers and purchasers and the nation’s premier advocate of transparency in health care. Included in her nursing career are appointments to several transformative healthcare initiatives including the Commission of Workforce for Hospitals and Health Systems of the American Hospital Association the Tri-Council of Nursing, and the National Quality Forum’s steering committee which developed the first national voluntary consensus standards for nursing-sensitive care. Dr. Alexander is a first-generation college graduate and holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, a Master of Science in Nursing /Family Nurse Practitioner Program from Vanderbilt University and a Doctorate in Education, Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University-Nashville.

 

Moderator/Discussant

Kirsten Kathryn Meisinger, MD, MHCDS, is an international expert in healthcare system transformation, with a focus on patient-centered care. She was National Faculty Co-Chair for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) “Transforming Clinical Practices Initiative” (TCPi), which transformed over 140,000 U.S. practices to value-based, patient-centered care. She also co-chaired the National Health Equity Collaborative and served on the expert panel for the Health Care Homes initiative in Australia. Currently, she is working with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to design and implement a national Primary Care transformation pilot in Brazil. As the Director of System Transformation and Leadership at the Harvard Center for Primary Care, Dr. Meisinger leads the Quality Improvement arm of the HRSA grant “Technology Enabled Education for Community Health” and directs the Medical Director Leadership Institute. She has faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School, Tufts University, and the MGH Institute of Health Professions, and she leads global partnerships with organizations like Upstream USA and Oak Street Health.

 

 

Keynote 2 - Patient- and Community-Responsive Approaches to Normalizing Conversations on Mental Health

Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, Ph.D., MHSc., (aka Dr. Alfiee) is a pioneering psychologist, scientist, author, mental health correspondent, and founder of the innovative nonprofit, The AAKOMA Project. She is also the Chief Mental Wealth Officer, for Charlamagne Tha God’s foundation, the Mental Wealth Alliance. A distinguished advocate for mental health, Dr. Alfiee has been tapped as a Melinda French Gates 2024 World Leader, championing innovative solutions to advance the health and wellbeing of women and girls worldwide as lead of a 20-million-dollar fund (part of Melinda’s groundbreaking 1 Billion Dollar philanthropic initiative). For over 25 years, Dr. Alfiee has been a trailblazer in mental health and suicide prevention for Youth and Young Adults of Color (including LGBTQAI+ and those w/disabilities). She is a regular media contributor for outlets like The Grio, Today Show, The Breakfast Club, the New York Times, and others. She co-hosts the Audacy Radio suicide prevention special I’m Listening with Carson Daly and Katie Neal, and co-hosted the Born This Way Foundation’s World Kindness Day short film The Power of Kindness, with Lady Gaga. Mixing rigorous science, popular culture and thoughtfulness about diverse population, she is a thought leader and passionate advocate for youth and young adult mental health. An author/co-author of 3 books and widely recognized for her ability to draw in audiences and inspire, she embodies her belief that there is enough love and light (informed by good culturally relevant science) to help everyone achieve #optimalmentalhealth.

 

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.